Alex Eala crosses paths with Swiatek again, this time on grass

Alexandra Eala of the Philippines celebrates winning the second round women’s singles match against Maya Joint of Australia at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 2, 2026.(AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

The journey continues for Alex Eala—and it will go through a familiar foe on an unfamiliar surface hosting their duel.

The 21-year-old Filipino star heads into Wimbledon’s third round, where she will meet defending champion Iga Swiatek, hoping to add more days to what has already been a historic stretch for Eala at All-England Club.

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The popular left-hander surrendered just two games in the final two sets and took down Maya Joint, 3-6, 6-2, 6-0, late Thursday evening (Manila time) in the second round of the grass court Grand Slam.

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But things are about to get harder for Eala, already making history as the first seeded female player from the Philippines to win two games at Wimbledon.

Eala and Swiatek have met twice in the past, with both splitting those matches.

Eala stunned Swiatek on the hardcourts of the Miami Open last year, one of the huge upsets the Filipino carved in the tournament to trigger her rise to tennis superstardom.

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Swiatek got payback a month later on clay at the Madrid Open, rallying from a set down to beat Eala in the second round.

Their third-round duel on Saturday (Manila time) at Wimbledon will be their first on grass.

Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic produced a Wimbledon masterclass as the history-chasing star raced into the third round on Wednesday, while defending champion Jannik Sinner battled through before French Open champion Mirra Andreeva suffered a shock exit.

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Djokovic demolished Stefanos Tsitsipas in a 98-minute rout that served as a statement of intent to Sinner and the rest of his Wimbledon title rivals.

The seven-time Wimbledon champion won, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2, hitting 33 winners and making just seven unforced errors.

Djokovic’s latest attempt to make history by winning a record 25th Grand Slam singles title got off to a rocky start as he laboured against unheralded Wu Yibing in the first round on Monday.

He plays French 25th seed Arthur Rinderknech in the last 32.

“I’m feeling great. I like the terminology ‘vintage’, it brings back the best days and you feel very satisfied and joyful on the court when you’re playing this way,” said Djokovic after being asked if it was a vintage performance.

Bidding to become the oldest man to win a major title in the Open era, Djokovic—who won the most recent of his Wimbledon crowns in 2022—has increasingly looked his age over the last two Grand Slams.

The 39-year-old Serb crashed out in the French Open third round, blowing a two-set lead against Joao Fonseca.

But Djokovic underlined his enduring class with his latest win against Greek world No. 87 Tsitsipas, who has now lost their last 12 meetings.

Djokovic’s 104th match win at Wimbledon leaves him just one behind Roger Federer’s Open era record in the men’s singles.

Sinner wasn’t at his best again, but the world number one did just enough to beat Portugual’s Nuno Borges, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (2), 6-4.

The 24-year-old Italian had narrowly avoided an embarrassing first-round exit when he fought back from two sets to one down to beat Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic on Monday.

The four-time Grand Slam champion ended Carlos Alcaraz’s two-year reign as Wimbledon champion with a brilliant final victory over the Spaniard last year.

Andreeva arrived at the All England Club hailed as one of the sport’s rising stars after winning her maiden Grand Slam crown in Paris in June.

But the Russian teenager was unable to maintain the momentum from Roland Garros as Barbora Krejcikova recaptured the magic that inspired her unexpected Wimbledon title triumph two years ago.

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The 30-year-old Czech, who also won the French Open in 2021, fought back for a dramatic 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 victory.—REPORTS FROM INQUIRER SPORTS DESK AND AFP