Alex Eala turns Eastbourne heartbreak into Wimbledon breakthrough

Alexandra Eala of the Philippines celebrates winning the second round women’s singles match against Maya Joint of Australia at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 2, 2026.(AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

MANILA, Philippines–Alex Eala had no shortage of motivation coming into her second-round match at Wimbledon.

She was determined to continue her breakthrough run on the grass after never getting past the second round of a Grand Slam since breaking through on the WTA Tour.

And standing across from Eala was a familiar foe in Maya Joint, who handed her an unforgettable heartbreak in the lead-up to her Wimbledon debut a year earlier.

Eala carried the memories of breaking down in tears after receiving her runner-up trophy at the 2025 Eastbourne Open when she defeated Joint, 3-6, 6-2, 6-0, in the 2026 Wimbledon Championships on Thursday night to advance to the third round.

“It’s funny. We had an insane match here at Eastbourne, and I lost, and it hit me quite hard. I cried a lot, and I don’t think I was able to watch those highlights for a couple of months,” Eala said.

She had every reason to be haunted by that 4-6, 6-1, 6(10)-7 loss after holding four championship points, only to lose what would have been her first WTA Tour title as Joint completed the dramatic comeback.

FILE–Alexandra Eala of the Philippines with the runners up trophy after the Women’s singles Final during day six of the Eastbourne Open at Devonshire Park Lawn Tennis Club, Eastbourne, England, Saturday June 28, 2025. (Adam Davy/PA via AP)

This time, it was Eala’s turn to rally. After dropping the opening set, she finished with a flourish—handing Joint a bagel in the decider to become the first-ever Filipino in the Open Era to reach the third round of a Grand Slam.

The victory is a testament to Eala’s massive improvement over the past year since her dream Miami Open run. She has continued to turn heads by beating Top 10 opponents and has climbed to a career-high No. 29 in the WTA rankings.

“I think I improved a lot in this past year, and I’m happy that I’m able to look back at that loss, and I’m able to smile. Extra motivation to win for sure,” Eala said.

“I’ve been working extremely hard; my team works extremely hard. I really feel like it’s paying off. So this win means a lot.”

Eala still congratulated Joint for her big victory over comeback tennis legend Serena Williams, which came after the Australian battled back injuries and slipped out of the Top 80 this year.

“She obviously is coming off an amazing win. I watched it, and I think she played really well and handled herself really well in that situation. So, congratulations to Maya. Knowing that, I really had to dig deep.”

The Filipino tennis ace also continued to enjoy the backing of fans wherever she played, and it was the same scene at Court 3 of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, where she celebrated her victory to a standing ovation.

“It’s absolutely incredible…I think the atmosphere today was amazing. It was electric, respectful, and all that I could have hoped for,” she said of the crowd.

Now, more history awaits Eala as she faces defending champion Iga Swiatek in the third round.