Philippine tennis star Alex Eala shocked the world by eliminating Wimbledon women's champion and world No. 3 Iga Swiatek, 7(11)-6(9), 6-2, in their Round of 32 match on Saturday, July 4, 2026, in London.
Historic Victory for Philippine Tennis
The 21-year-old Eala continues to write history for Philippine tennis, bringing great honor to the country in a sport typically dominated by Europeans and Americans. With her win, Eala secured a spot in the Round of 16 and climbed to world No. 28 in the rankings.
Eala shared what this victory means to her personally. "Maybe for someone like Iga, Serena or Venus, who has won so many Slams, this achievement may seem small. But for someone who grew up in the Philippines, who trained with her brother and grandfather every day after school, with ruffled socks and light-up shoes, and with chubby cheeks. So, to her, this is everything," she said.
Steady Rise in Rankings
Over the past years, Eala has steadily climbed the tennis rankings, starting at No. 1180 in 2020 when she was just 14 years old. She jumped to No. 529 the following year; the next year she was at No. 219, and further advanced to No. 158 in 2023. She stood at No. 143 in 2024 and No. 50 in 2025, before recently achieving No. 28.
Next Match and Prize Money
Eala's next opponent is world No. 17 Jasmine Paolini on Monday evening. The 30-year-old Paolini easily won, 6-1, 6-2, against Maria Sakkari in her own third-round match. The winner of the Eala-Paolini showdown will advance to the quarterfinals of the grass-court Grand Slam tournament and face the winner between Marta Kostyuk or Ashlyn Krueger. By reaching the Round of 16, Eala has already secured a prize of approximately 24 million Philippine pesos.
