Alex Eala’s really unique serve was crucial to her win against Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon, according to Patrick Mouratoglou.
Eala shocked Swiatek at the All England Club, producing a stunning display to win their third round clash 7-6(11-9), 6-2.
The Pole was the defending champion at Wimbledon, but really struggled to cope with the Filipina’s serve, which Serena Williams’ former coach has now analyzed.
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How Alex Eala’s serve really annoyed Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon
Speaking in a video on his Instagram, Mouratoglou explained: “Iga Swiatek lost against Eala, and I think she had to deal with something that most of the amateur players have to deal with.
“Eala’s second serve is unique. It reminds me actually of [Elena] Dementieva.
“Her second serve was really strange also. She decided to toss the ball very low and do a slice that was almost not a serve, and it was annoying the opponents so well.
“They were struggling to not only hit a winner but even sometimes to just hit the ball in.
“These kinds of serves are even highlighted by the fact that grass is grass, and the slice serve is moving to the side even more than on other surfaces, which makes the serve even more difficult to return.
“If you’re not moving, cutting the trajectory extremely well and moving forward, you are easily far from the ball and in a very difficult situation.”
Eala can be proud of her entire Wimbledon run, but knocking out the reigning champion in such fashion is a particularly impressive feat.
| Alex Eala | Iga Swiatek | |
| 4 | Aces | 1 |
| 0 | Double faults | 5 |
| 62.4% 63/101 | 1st serve | 68.1% 47/69 |
| 57.1% 36/63 | 1st serve points won | 57.4% 27/47 |
| 55.3% 21/38 | 2nd serve points won | 31.8% 7/22 |
| 11 | Break points faced | 7 |
| 72.7% 8/11 | Break points saved | 28.6% 2/7 |
| 7 | Service games played | 5 |
Iga Swiatek found it very difficult to return Alex Eala’s serve
The serve in question was discussed by Swiatek after the match, with the Pole indeed having found it very difficult to return.
The six-time Grand Slam champion said: “I’ve got to say it’s much tougher to return a serve like that than a normal serve.”
Swiatek also noted: “Even though maybe the top players play super fast and serve fast, you also need to be ready for this kind of rhythm.
“Yeah, I don’t know. Like, she served slow. You need to step in. The court becomes short suddenly. If I want to put my topspin, I feel like I need to really play short.”
The unique approach clearly worked for WTA rising star Eala, who couldn’t repeat her heroics in the round of 16 as she fell to Jasmine Paolini.
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