Alex Eala will look to break further ground at Wimbledon when she takes on Jasmine Paolini in the fourth round.
Eala, aged 21, knocked out defending champion Iga Swiatek to book her place in the round of 16, beating the Pole in straight sets, 7-6, 6-2.
The Filipina, who played four grass-court warm-up events prior to Wimbledon, has really started to excel on the surface and will now attempt to reach a maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal against Paolini.
Alexandra Eala will finish 2026 ranked — in the world
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She has faced the Italian just once in her career and won their sole meeting, which came at the Dubai Tennis Championships earlier this year.
Ahead of the bout, former Wimbledon finalist Paolini had very high praise for Eala.
Jasmine Paolini speaks ahead of her match with Alex Eala
In her post-match press conference after beating Maria Sakkari in the third round, Paolini said: I don’t watch the draw. I know I’m going to play Eala.
“I saw a little bit the last game. You know, I think that the game of Eala’s fits very well to grass.
She showed a great level also in Berlin. I think she’s very dangerous player here.
“Yeah, let’s see how we are going to prepare the match. I played already her in Dubai this year. And I think it’s going to be a tough one the next, because as I said, I think she can play really well here.
Who is your favorite player on the WTA Tour right now?
“I think it’s good that I already played against her once. But here, it’s another surface, even if Dubai was really quick.
“I think I’m going to watch some matches here, because, you know, it’s already, like, five, six months ago. She’s playing great. She has a huge crowd with her. Now on the bridge, they were screaming ‘Alex, Alex.’ It’s so good for our sport, I think, also to involve more people around the world.
“Yeah, I think she’s, like, a star of our sport, you know. It’s going to be a tough battle. The crowd is going to be there every point. But that’s sport. I also really enjoy playing in those kinds of situations, and hopefully many Italians will be there as well, honestly.”
Jasmine Paolini’s disappointing form this season
Paolini enjoyed the best year of her career in 2024, reaching two major finals (Roland Garros and Wimbledon) and clinching a maiden WTA 1000 title in Dubai.
She followed it up last season by adding another WTA 1000 crown to her name at the Italian Open and making the final of the Cincinnati Open.
But so far this year, Paolini has failed to make it past the fourth round of a Grand Slam or a WTA 1000 event.
“I came here without too many expectations,” admitted Paolini of her hopes at this year’s Wimbledon championships.
“But I’m happy how I played those three matches, because they were, I think, tough matches.
“I managed to play well in the important points, today I did just few mistakes. And I was enjoying myself on court. It’s a great feeling, you know, when you are a tennis player and you play like that.”
A win over Eala would see Paolini reach her first Grand Slam quarterfinal since Wimbledon 2024.
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