Alex Eala has continued her dream run at Wimbledon by shocking defending champion Iga Swiatek.
Eala is now into the fourth round of the Grand Slam for the first time in her career, where she will meet Jasmine Paolini.
It will take place following the stunning upset against Swiatek, who lifted the Wimbledon trophy last year after beating Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 in the final.
But she was on the receiving end of a straight-sets loss to Eala this year, falling 7-6(11-9), 6-2 in round three at the All England Club.
The efforts of both players have now been discussed by WTA legend Kim Clijsters, who won four Grand Slam titles during her glittering career.
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Kim Clijsters says Alex Eala won mental battle vs Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon
Offering her latest take on the Wimbledon action, she said in a video on Love All with Kim Clijsters on X: “Iga, I felt like from the first round, and again, I don’t know what it’s like to go to Wimbledon as a defending champion, and I’m sure it is very stressful.
“But you could just feel like, even her emotions after winning that first match, crying and letting the emotions go against Taylor Townsend, just showed how much relief she almost felt.
“She didn’t look like a confident defending champion. And it just showed in her tennis again as well.
“Eala just playing a very, very solid match, not making too many easy mistakes, really letting Iga go… letting her play tennis that will make her win.
“Eala was not making any mistakes, not giving her anything for free. And it just got to Iga mentally.
“Eala was really firing a lot of the shots to the forehand and trying to attack that, and she kind of broke that shot down. And then broke her mentally as well.
“It just shows, right, when people talk about how tennis is such a mental game, that’s what it’s all about, is what you saw today.
“Iga mentally kind of breaking herself down, Zizou [Bergs] at times when he was up in the fourth and the fifth.
“You can feel it when players are playing, when doubt starts to creep in, and that’s why tennis is such a mental game, is the thoughts that you create in your own head.
“Yeah, it’s a tough sport, but the great thing is that there’s some big tournaments coming up in the next few weeks and you can kind of leave that behind you and focus on what’s next.
“So that’s where we’re very lucky and learn from those moments.”
Like Swiatek, Clijsters’ fellow Belgian Bergs fell in the third round of Wimbledon, losing to British qualifier Arthur Fery.
Alex Eala can be confident of beating Jasmine Paolini at Wimbledon
Of course, Eala is understandably taking things one match at a time in London, but her huge fanbase may not be.
As always, the Filipina has attracted massive interest on and off the court, with her fan support undoubtedly helping to push her on at London this year.
And she has been giving them plenty to smile about during her dream run, which also includes wins over Renata Zarazua and Maya Joint.
But Eala has just claimed her most impressive win at Wimbledon yet by beating the defending champion, notably on Centre Court, which should give her plenty of confidence going forward.
Also of huge significance ahead of her next match at SW19, the 21-year-old leads Paolini in their head-to-head record.
The two WTA stars have met just once in their careers, with Eala triumphing 6-1, 7-6(7-5) in their round of 32 clash in Dubai earlier this year.
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