Metro Manila, Philippines – Filipina tennis star Alex Eala reached another milestone in her stellar career, soaring to No. 28 in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) world rankings after a historic Wimbledon journey.
The 21-year-old was the first Filipino to make it to the grand slam’s Round of 16.
Eala previously ranked No. 32 before she entered the fourth round of Wimbledon, making her jump four spots to her current place.
Her most notable win in the tournament was when she defeated the defending champion Iga Swiatek in straight sets, 7-6, 6-2.
After that huge victory, she became emotional, saying, “I went to train with my brother and my grandfather every day after school with my ruffled socks and my light up shoes and chubby cheeks. So to her, this is everything.”
Eala ended her Wimbledon journey after falling to Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in three sets, 4-6, 6-4, 3-6.
Paolini described Eala as “a really tough opponent” after the match.
Eala is in the country for a break before moving to the second half of the WTA season.
Her next scheduled match will be at the Mubadala DC Open in the US, a WTA 500 tournament from July 25 to Aug. 2.
This story was contributed by intern Raizza Regalado.
