Alexandra Eala’s Wimbledon debut ends in defeat — but her journey has only just begun

Dubai: Filipino tennis sensation Alexandra Eala’s first Wimbledon appearance ended in a three-set loss to defending champion Barbora Krejcikova on Centre Court. Though the 20-year-old fell 6-3, 2-6, 1-6 in three sets, her performance underscored the promise and resilience that have defined her breakout season.

“It’s such a privilege to be on that court,” Eala said before the match, describing Wimbledon as her favourite Grand Slam and a place where she has long dreamed of playing. On Tuesday, she lived that dream — and laid the foundation for many more moments to come.

This year has marked a rapid rise for Eala, the 56th-ranked player in the world. After making history as the first Filipina in the Open Era to reach a WTA final at Eastbourne last week, she carried that momentum into London.

Earlier in 2025, Eala stunned the tennis world with victories over Grand Slam champions Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys, and Iga Swiatek en route to the Miami Open semi-finals — achievements that lifted her into the WTA Top 100 for the first time.

Her first-round exit at Wimbledon, following her debut Grand Slam appearance at Roland Garros last month, may not have gone her way this time — but her development as a competitor on the biggest stages is undeniable.

From the start of the Open era in 1968 through 2023, only one reigning women’s champ was defeated in the first round at Wimbledon: Steffi Graf in 1994.

But it happened last year to Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic — whose title in 2023 made her the first unseeded woman to leave the All England Club with the singles trophy — and there were moments early Tuesday that it appeared it might happen again this year to the 17th-seeded Krejcikova, another Czech player and the French Open champion in 2021.

Eala is a 20-year-old left-hander who was competing at a Grand Slam tournament for only the second time. Eala is the only woman representing the Philippines to compete in the main draw of Wimbledon in the Open era.

She signed with an agent when she was just 13 and honed her tennis skills at the Rafael Nadal Academy, getting advice from the 22-time major title winner who retired at the end of last season.

Eala was seeking what would have been her fourth top-20 victory of 2025. She grabbed attention at the Miami Open by getting past 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, Australian Open champion Madison Keys and former No. 1 and five-time major champ Iga Swiatek en route to the semi-finals.

Last week, Eala again defeated Ostapenko at the grass-court Eastbourne Open along the way to reaching the final there.

Krejcikova, who is 29, made it to the quarter-finals at Eastbourne before withdrawing from that tournament because of an issue with her right thigh.

She started slowly on Tuesday, making 19 unforced errors in the first set. But Krejcikova cleaned up her play and had a total of 18 the rest of the way, often leaning forward with a clenched fist and a yell to celebrate points that moved her closer to the win.

For Eala, the journey is just beginning. With hard work, experience, and her characteristic determination, she looks poised to become a force on the WTA Tour and inspire a new generation of tennis fans in the Philippines and beyond.