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Poland's Iga Swiatek returns against Czech Republic's Karolina Pliskova during their women's singles second round tennis match on the fourth day of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London. Adrian Dennis, AFP

Poland's Iga Swiatek returns against Czech Republic's Karolina Pliskova during their women's singles second round tennis match on the fourth day of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 2, 2026. (Photo by Adrian Dennis / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE

Article (news)

Dyan Castillejo

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1783050455608AFP__20260702__B92R82M__v1__MidRes__TennisGbrWimbledon.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Poland&#x27;s Iga Swiatek returns against Czech Republic&#x27;s Karolina Pliskova during their women&#x27;s singles second round tennis match on the fourth day of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London. Adrian Dennis, AFP</div>Defending champion Iga Świątek is preparing for a new challenge at Wimbledon as she takes on Filipina star Alex Eala in the third round — the pair&#x27;s first-ever meeting on grass.Świątek booked her place in the last 32 with a commanding 6-1, 6-3 victory over Karolína Plíšková, saying she was pleased with the level she produced.“For sure I&#x27;m happy with the way I played. I was pretty solid and focused and consistent throughout the whole match, which makes me happy,&quot; Świątek said.She said she built on the confidence from her opening-round win, cutting down on errors and maintaining her level throughout the match.&quot;I felt like I was more efficient and more solid. I didn&#x27;t do as many unforced errors. I used my momentum and the confidence to keep doing that till the end of the match,&quot; she said.Awaiting her next is Eala, who advanced to the third round after defeating Maya Joint in a three-set battle.Although the two have faced each other before, Świątek admitted she is still unsure how Eala&#x27;s game translates to grass.&quot;I don&#x27;t particularly know her game on grass. Obviously I can watch a little bit. I know how she plays because we played already,&quot; Świątek said.She expects the surface to make the Filipina even more dangerous.&quot;She has a tricky game. I can assume that on grass it&#x27;s even more tricky because of the surface. For sure, she&#x27;s using her strengths, the change of rhythm and everything. I will prepare and I&#x27;ll be ready.&quot;&quot;But it will be a good challenge for me &#x27;cause, yeah, she doesn&#x27;t give that rhythm. I will need to be ready for different kinds of shots,&quot; she said.Despite grass traditionally favoring aggressive, flat hitters, Świątek said the courts have evolved in recent years, allowing players with heavier topspin to succeed.&quot;The grass has changed. It&#x27;s not that only flat hitters will win here, because the ball also stays kind of long in the air after the bounce. It&#x27;s not that it slides every time as it did like 10 years ago,&quot; she said.&quot;I guess there&#x27;s more space for topspin players to be solid and to have longer rallies. Obviously I don&#x27;t mind that.&quot;She added that her biggest focus remains making the right decisions during rallies rather than adjusting solely to the surface.&quot;I feel like it&#x27;s more about me than the surface or the conditions,&quot; she said.

Defending champion Iga Świątek is preparing for a new challenge at Wimbledon as she takes on Filipina star Alex Eala in the third round — the pair's first-ever meeting on grass.

Defending champion Iga Świątek is preparing for a new challenge at Wimbledon as she takes on Filipina star Alex Eala in the third round — the pair's first-ever meeting on grass.

Swiatek braces for tricky Eala test in first grass court meeting at Wimbledon

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Swiatek braces for tricky Eala test in first grass court meeting at Wimbledon

Dyan Castillejo,

ABS-CBN News

Published July 03, 2026 11:55 AM PHT

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Updated July 03, 2026 01:57 PM PHT

Read More:

Iga Swiatek

Alex Eala

Wimbledon

tennis

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