Alex Eala delivered a huge upset at Wimbledon on Saturday, knocking out defending champion Iga Swiatek.
Eala defeated Swiatek in straight sets on Centre Court, overcoming the Pole 7-6, 6-2 to book her place in the fourth round.
The Filipina is the first from her country, man or woman, to advance to the round of 16 at a Grand Slam, and will take on former Wimbledon finalist Jasmine Paolini next.
Alexandra Eala will finish 2026 ranked — in the world
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Eala graduated from the Rafael Nadal Academy in 2023 and has since burst onto the scene on the WTA Tour.
She is a lefty like Nadal, but the 21-year-old has more similarities with the King of Clay than just that, according to former US Open finalist Greg Rusedski.
Greg Rusedski praises Alex Eala for her mentality
Addressing Swiatek in an episode of ‘Off Court with Greg‘, Rusedski said: “I think in the first set, she was beaten by the better player.
“When she went off court, her brain was spinning. She couldn’t accept it. And also, I think what hurt Swiatek was all those practice sessions with Eala because in the big moments, she knew where to go.
“When Iga has time in the backhand corner with the forehand, it’s always inside out. On the run, she can only really hit it cross-court, and you saw Eala anticipating where Swiatek was going to play at the big moments.
“Just shows she has a very high tennis IQ and has been trained brilliantly well. She trains at the Rafael Nadal Academy. She’s a lefty. I mean, the sky’s the limit for her.
“I really look at her serve, and it’s not that far away from being a great serve in time if she changes just a few little aspects.
“But the mentality is like Rafa. Never say die. Start to finish. Gets the job done. Finds a way. I really love watching her live.”
Greg Rusedski says Alex Eala needs to improve her serve
“What I was impressed with was her mental fortitude, her strength, her mentality,” added Rusedski.
“She was the one who looked like she had the six major titles. It wasn’t Iga Swiatek. Iga Swiatek was anxious, she was nervous.
“The first set of tennis was 85 minutes of high quality stuff, by far the best set of tennis I’ve seen throughout the Championships.
“What I love about Eala is she’s so clear on what she has to do tactically, tactically super astute out there, going in with the body serve on the outside was a key play.
“Also the way she stood in on the second serve, right inside the baseline dictating the return and getting on the front foot. She was very clear about what she had to do.
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“She handled the pressure better and then after a brutal first set, she gets off to a tear, comes out, closes it out, defeats the defending champion.
“If she can keep improving that serve, that’s the one area in her game which is a little bit of a weakness because when she gets tired, it dropped to about 69 miles an hour.
“If she can get that serve about 107, 110, this is somebody who’s going to win the Wimbledon Championship one day and possibly get to the top five in the world. She is that good.
“The ground strokes, the tenacity, absolutely brilliant. In the Philippines, it was prime time, that’s why they put it on at 1.30, that’s 8.30 p.m. in the Philippines.
“Manny Pacquiao wanted to be there to watch the match, he was the biggest icon in the country sporting wise. She is the new Manny Pacquiao. She is the real deal.
“She is a breath of fresh air and what a moment. First Filipino man or woman to be into the fourth round at a major and I think the roll keeps on going.”
Eala has played her next opponent, Paolini, just once before, having beaten the Italian at the Dubai Tennis Championships earlier this season.
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