MANILA — Alexandra Eala vowed to build on the confidence gained from the best Grand Slam campaign of her career after becoming the first Filipina to reach the fourth round of Wimbledon, saying she leaves the All England Club proud of what she achieved despite her exit.
The 21-year-old Filipina bowed to 13th seed Jasmine Paolini of Italy, 4-6, 6-4, 3-6, on Centre Court on Monday evening, ending a historic run that included a stunning third-round upset of defending Wimbledon champion and world No. 3 Iga Swiatek.
Despite the defeat, Eala said the tournament proved she could compete with the world’s best and gave her renewed belief heading into the remainder of the season.
“It was a really challenging match today. I think Jasmine played great. I gave everything that I could. I did everything that I could do today, so I’m proud of that,” Eala said. “I have to be proud of what I’ve achieved this week. Leaving with positive thoughts.”
Eala said reaching the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time taught her valuable lessons, particularly in handling pressure on one of tennis’ biggest stages.
“There are so many positives,” she said. “One I think is how I’ve handled pressure. There’s pressure every week, right? The more you want to win, the more pressure goes along with that.”
“I’m happy with how I faced it head on. I think I kept cool when I needed to control my emotions. Overall, I performed the best that I could on the day.”
The Wimbledon breakthrough, she added, has strengthened her confidence as she prepares for the hard-court season, including the US Open.
“I think this week in general will add to my confidence. It’s been one of my best results,” Eala said. “I think it’s important that every match I played this week, and every match that I play, I go in with the self-esteem and the thought that I’m able to win.”
Eala opened her campaign with victories over Renata Zarazua and Maya Joint before producing the biggest win of her career by eliminating Swiatek, becoming the first Filipina to reach the fourth round at the All England Club.
Although her historic Wimbledon journey ended against Paolini, Eala’s performance further underscored her steady rise on the WTA Tour and reinforced her status as one of Philippine sports’ brightest stars heading into the season’s final Grand Slam./PN
