Vlad Bunoan

Alex Eala will have the opportunity to turn last year’s heartbreak into redemption when she faces Australia’s Maya Joint in the second round of Wimbledon on Thursday, July 2.

Article (news)

Dyan Castillejo

ABS-CBN News

<p>Alex Eala will have the opportunity to turn last year’s heartbreak into redemption when she faces Australia’s Maya Joint in the second round of Wimbledon on Thursday, July 2.</p><p>The two last met in the 2025 Eastbourne final, where Eala came agonizingly close to lifting the title. She held four championship points before Joint mounted a dramatic comeback to win 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (12-10) in one of the most memorable matches at Eastbourne.</p><p>When Eala completed her first-round victory, Joint and Serena Williams were still battling on Centre Court, leaving the Filipina uncertain about who her next opponent would be.</p><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display:flex;max-width:550px;width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=2072091249574830337&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com%2F%23%2Fworkspace%2Fmonitoring%3Fitem%3Durn%3Anewsml%3Aod2-workbench-api.abs-cbn.com%3A2026-07-01T04%3A20%3A28.641029%3Ab0376cdd-1f24-4f0b-ba29-94b34f4d978e%26action%3Dedit&amp;sessionId=c2d8bf2bb8e1c8b40e4e652b38dc016d00744a90&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px" style="position:static;visibility:visible;width:550px;height:576px;display:block;flex-grow:1" data-tweet-id="2072091249574830337"></iframe></div><script async="" src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8"></script><p>Asked whether she preferred facing Joint or Williams, Eala smiled and said: “Either way would be a very interesting match for me. I had a really great match with Maya last year, so I’d like to have the chance to improve on some of the things that I could have improved on.”</p><p>On the possibility of facing Serena Williams, Eala added: “To play Serena — wow. Just to say it is amazing. To put myself in that situation against a legend and really test my limits would be a highlight of my career, so far.”</p><p>Joint eventually prevailed, defeating the 23-time Grand Slam champion in three sets to book a second-round showdown with Eala.</p><p>After missing time this season because of a back injury, Joint steadied herself to defeat Williams, 6-3, 6-7, 6-3.</p><p>Williams, playing her first singles match in four years, showed flashes of the brilliance that made her one of the greatest players in tennis history. She impressed the Centre Court crowd with her powerful serve, explosive groundstrokes, and trademark fighting spirit, earning loud ovations after several winners and passing shots.</p><p>Joint admitted afterward that she had barely slept the night before, overwhelmed by the thought of playing Williams on Centre Court at Wimbledon. The Australian became emotional after securing one of the biggest victories of her career.</p>

<p>Alex Eala will have the opportunity to turn last year’s heartbreak into redemption when she faces Australia’s Maya Joint in the second round of Wimbledon on Thursday, July 2.</p>

Alex Eala to face Maya Joint in Wimbledon second round

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Sudoku

Word of the Day

Lotto

Horoscope

Sports

Alex Eala to face Maya Joint in Wimbledon second round

Dyan Castillejo,

ABS-CBN News

Published July 01, 2026 11:53 AM PHT

|

Updated July 01, 2026 03:08 PM PHT

Read More:

Alex Eala

Maya Joint

Wimbledon

tennis

sports

ABS-CBN Newsletter

Your go-to source for the latest news, entertainment highlights, exclusive interviews, and updates on your favorite Kapamilya stars.

ABS-CBN Newsletter

Your go-to source for the latest news, entertainment highlights, exclusive interviews, and updates on your favorite Kapamilya stars.

Sign Up

I have read and agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy.

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.