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(NEWS 1) Alex Eala once again defeats Iga Swiatek of Poland, the defending Wimbledon champion and six-time Grand Slam winner, and claimed his place in the round of 16.
MANILA, Philippines – The new Wimbledon women’s champion will be crowned from Alex Eala.
Eala continued her magical run in the Championship, reaching the fourth round after ousting defending champion Iga Swiatek of Poland 7-6 (9), 6-2 at the Center Court of All England on Saturday, July 4.
Facing Swiatek for the third time on the WTA Tour but first time on grass, the Filipino legend once again defeated the six-time Grand Slam winner to claim her place in the last 16 standings in the women’s singles tournament.
“I don’t know how to explain it. I’m in the second week of the Slam and it’s amazing for me. Iga is an amazing player and a very nice person, so I’m very grateful to be able to share Center Court with him at Wimbledon anyway,” Eala said.
The win marked a complete turnaround in fortunes for Eala as it came almost a year since she was shown the door by then-title holder Barbora Krejcikova. Wimbledon main draw.
But this time, it was Eala who sent the defending champion to score.
Eala showed he meant business when he led a marathon opening set that lasted 1 hour and 24 minutes, outlasting Swiatek in the long period 11-9.
Swiatek, who became only the second player in the Open Era – male or female – to win a Grand Slam final without dropping a set when she beat American Amanda Anisimova, 6-0, 6-0, to claim her first Wimbledon title last year, stormed to an 8-7 lead in the first set.
That, however, did not discourage Eala as she owned four of the next five points to steal the set, much to the delight of the roaring, flag-waving Filipino fans who came to watch her play.
Eala continued to build a 4-0 lead in the second set before Swiatek won the next two games to inch within 2-4.
Swiatek then came close to cutting his deficit to 3-5 when he took advantage in the eighth game after an error by Eala, but the Filipino held his nerve and won the next three points, ending the match in 2 hours and 14 minutes for the forehand winner and past his idol.
Perhaps in disbelief at his latest act, Eala fell onto her back, tears of joy streaming down her face.
Eala improved his record against Swiatek, the third seed and current world No. 3, to 2-1.
The 21-year-old Eala first defeated the 25-year-old Pole on hard court when she won the quarterfinals of the 2025 Miami Open in the United States and became the first Filipino to reach the semifinals of the WTA 1000.
Swiatek got his payback on clay, eliminating Eala in the round of 64 at the Madrid Open 2025 in Spain.
The win also saw Eala improve her record against top 10 opponents to 7-4, with her other big wins coming against current world No. 2 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan at the Berlin Open and No. 7 Coco Gauff of the United States at the Indian Wells Open earlier this year.
Next up for Eala is world number 17 and 13 seed Jasmine Paolini of Italy. – Rappler.com
