Overview
- On Thursday, Alexandra Eala rallied past Maya Joint 3-6, 6-2, 6-0 to reach the third round at Wimbledon and become the first player from the Philippines to reach that stage at a Grand Slam.
- Eala is scheduled to face defending champion Iga Świątek in the third round on Saturday, July 4, in the pair’s deciding match after splitting their two prior meetings.
- Their head-to-head is 1-1 after Eala beat Świątek at the 2025 Miami Open and Świątek won the 2025 Madrid Open, making this their first meeting on grass.
- Eela arrives in strong grass form, having won the Birmingham Open and reached the Berlin semi-finals this season, and she celebrated coach Joan Bosch’s birthday with the Court 3 crowd after her win.
- For Świątek, the match is a test of form and rankings pressure because she is the defending Wimbledon champion and a top-ranked player whose season and WTA Finals race could be affected by an early exit.