Camille Naredo

Article (news)

Dyan Castillejo

ABS-CBN News

MANILA -- Doubles specialist Treat Huey is confident that Filipina tennis star Alex Eala is capable of extending her already historic campaign in Wimbledon.Eala will play Italy&#x27;s Jasmine Paolini in the fourth round on Monday night (Manila time), seeking to become the first player from the Philippines to reach the singles quarterfinals of a Grand Slam in the Open era. She had broken new ground by beating defending champion Iga Swiatek in straight sets in the third round, and Huey -- who played mixed doubles with Eala in the 2021 Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam -- believes her star-making campaign can continue. <div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/othersports/2026/7/4/alex-eala-dethrones-defending-champion-iga-swiatek-advances-to-wimbledon-fourth-round-2254">READ: Alex Eala dethrones defending champion Iga Swiatek, advances to Wimbledon fourth round</a></div>&quot;I think Alex has a very good chance to win, especially on grass courts,&quot; Huey told ABS-CBN News. &quot;I think Alex is playing well. She has a lot of confidence right now and I think on grass courts, Alex should be a favorite, I think, but you never know.&quot;Huey -- who reached the Wimbledon doubles semifinals in 2016 -- acknowledged that following up such a massive win can be a tough challenge.However, Eala has shown that she has the mentality to deal with the pressure, said Huey.&quot;Especially after a big win... a lot of the time, that&#x27;s tough the next match,&quot; he said. &quot;But I think Alex is a player that is very focused mentally and I don&#x27;t think that&#x27;ll bother her too much.&quot;Huey saw firsthand Eala&#x27;s potential for greatness in 2021, when they won bronze in the SEA Games.&quot;I feel like when we played then, I could see she had something special about her,&quot; he said. &quot;Her drive and wanting to get better and always working to get better day in, day out was something you don&#x27;t see that very much.&quot;&quot;I was like, wow, she has a chance to be really good with how she approaches the game, how she comes every day with the attitude of wanting to get better and her mental effort day in, day out in her fight is incredible.&quot;<div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/othersports/2026/7/5/paolini-wary-as-red-hot-dangerous-eala-awaits-in-wimbledon-fourth-round-2130">READ: Paolini wary as red-hot, &#x27;dangerous&#x27; Eala awaits in Wimbledon fourth round</a></div>Huey said Eala constantly sought advice from everyone around her during training.&quot;I&#x27;m left-handed as well, like her. So we would hit a lot those two weeks that we were there and she was always trying to learn different things,&quot; Huey recalled. &quot;She was always looking for ways to keep getting better,&quot; he explained. &quot;She wasn&#x27;t thinking, &#x27;Oh, I&#x27;m really good.&#x27; She was like, &#x27;How do I keep evolving, keep growing, keep getting better?&#x27;&quot;&quot;That&#x27;s a big quality to have as somebody who&#x27;s trying to be a pro tennis player or pro in anything.&quot;Five years later, Huey has seen how Eala&#x27;s desire to keep improving has paid off and reflected in her performance.&quot;She had the ability to be fearless and go for her shots and try as hard as she could and try to win,&quot; he said. &quot;She&#x27;s always so focused and mentally just driven on trying to win the next point, trying to win the next point. She&#x27;s incredible at that.&quot;Her forehand and backhand are both very dangerous where she can hit winners off both sides, but she can also make a lot of balls,&quot; he also said.&quot;She does a great job of recognizing the moment, when to be aggressive, when she doesn&#x27;t need to. She plays very, very smart.&quot;Still, Huey believes Eala can still improve and reach greater heights. The Filipina entered Wimbledon ranked 32nd in the world and Huey has no doubt that she will rise.&quot;Even the last year or year and a half, I feel like she&#x27;s kept improving little parts of her game,&quot; said Huey. &quot;It&#x27;d be amazing to see. It&#x27;d be really, really special for her to be a top 10 player and who knows, maybe more.&quot;

Doubles specialist Treat Huey is confident that Filipina tennis star Alex Eala is capable of extending her already historic campaign in Wimbledon.

Doubles specialist Treat Huey is confident that Filipina tennis star Alex Eala is capable of extending her already historic campaign in Wimbledon.

Treat Huey says Alex Eala has 'very good chance to win' vs Paolini

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Treat Huey says Alex Eala has 'very good chance to win' vs Paolini

Dyan Castillejo,

ABS-CBN News

Published July 06, 2026 04:51 PM PHT

Read More:

tennis

Wimbledon

Alex Eala

Jasmine Paolini

Treat Huey

Iga Swiatek

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