Camille Naredo

Philippines' Alexandra Eala returns to Poland's Iga Swiatek during their women's singles third round tennis match on the sixth day of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 4, 2026.

Philippines' Alexandra Eala returns to Poland's Iga Swiatek during their women's singles third round tennis match on the sixth day of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 4, 2026. (Photo by Henry NICHOLLS / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE

Article (news)

Wimbledon

Dyan Castillejo

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1783312114894IMG_5771.JPG" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Philippines&#x27; Alexandra Eala returns to Poland&#x27;s Iga Swiatek during their women&#x27;s singles third round tennis match on the sixth day of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 4, 2026. Henry Nicholls, AFP"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Philippines&#x27; Alexandra Eala returns to Poland&#x27;s Iga Swiatek during their women&#x27;s singles third round tennis match on the sixth day of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 4, 2026. <em>Henry Nicholls, AFP</em></span></span></span></div><p>LONDON -- Two veteran tennis journalists praised Alex Eala&#x27;s poise and composure, as the Filipina ace continues her historic campaign in Wimbledon.</p><p>Eala reached the fourth round of Wimbledon after dethroning defending champion Iga Świątek, in the process becoming the first player from the Philippines to go this far in a Grand Slam in the Open era.</p><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><p>She is set to play Jasmine Paolini in the fourth round tonight at Centre Court in a bid to reach the quarterfinals.</p><p>Ben Rothenberg, a veteran tennis journalist, said he was not surprised by Eala&#x27;s performance against Świątek, pointing to the matchup and the conditions as factors that suited her game.</p><p>&quot;I thought this was a good matchup for her, in good conditions for her,&quot; he said. &quot;Her confidence in her recent level was higher than that of Świątek, and I was impressed by how she handled it.&quot;</p><p>One of the key tactical reasons Świątek struggled, he explained, was Eala&#x27;s serve variation. Drawing from his own experience as a player, Rothenberg said slower serves can be especially disruptive on grass because they break rhythm and stay low after the bounce.</p><p>&quot;The fast ball is really fast, but the slow ball is really, really slow,&quot; he said. &quot;It confuses opponents. It breaks their rhythm.&quot;</p><p>That variety, he added, is part of what makes Eala so difficult to play against. </p><p>&quot;She has the fastball, and the slow ball is so slow. There&#x27;s a big gap in the kind of serve you can get at any given point,&quot; Rothenberg said. &quot;The variety makes you unbalanced.&quot;</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/othersports/2026/7/5/honored-to-inspire-eala-urges-next-generation-of-pinoy-athletes-to-be-the-first-you-1915">READ: Honored to inspire, Eala urges next generation of Pinoy athletes to &#x27;be the first you&#x27;</a></div><p>For Rothenberg, the result was also one of the more memorable moments in Wimbledon history, especially given the significance it carries for the Philippines.</p><p>&quot;It&#x27;s very cool to have this moment from this big country that hasn&#x27;t really had a footprint here before,&quot; he said.</p><p>The journalist believes that Eala is already among the best players in the world on grass: &quot;If it was just grass rankings, I think she&#x27;s easily top 10 at this point.&quot;</p><p>Another journalist, Matthew Futterman, said Eala was &quot;more composed&quot; than six-time Grand Slam champion Świątek during their match. This was Eala&#x27;s second win against the Polish star, having also beaten her during her breakout campaign at the Miami Open in March 2025.</p><p>&quot;She was the one who played like the experienced Grand Slam champion rather than Iga, who has six Grand Slam titles and came in as the defending champion,&quot; he said.</p><p>While he admitted he expected Świątek to perform better under pressure, Futterman credited Eala for forcing the five-time Grand Slam champion into uncomfortable situations.</p><p>&quot;I think I expected Iga to play a little bit better, especially in the tight moments,&quot; he said. &quot;But grass-court tennis is pretty hard.&quot;</p><p>Like Rothenberg, Futterman also cited Eala&#x27;s slower serve as a factor in the Filipina&#x27;s win.</p><p>&quot;One of the things he said was that the fast ball is really fast, but the slow ball is really, really slow,&quot; Futterman explained. &quot;The ball doesn&#x27;t come up off the ground, and because of Iga&#x27;s very western grip, it&#x27;s hard to generate topspin on those slower balls.</p><p>&quot;The ball sort of dives after it hits the grass. She couldn&#x27;t adjust because it happened over and over. She said she tried to adjust, but she couldn&#x27;t find the solution.&quot;</p><p>Beyond the tactical discussion, Futterman was full of admiration for Eala&#x27;s style of play and the excitement she brings to the court.</p><p>&quot;I think she&#x27;s incredible to watch. All these players bring incredible quality, but some have this charisma and passion that bring you along for the ride,&quot; he said. &quot;That&#x27;s what stands out to me with her. She puts you in the car with her and takes you along for the ride.&quot;</p><p>Futterman also pushed back against the common narrative that top players simply underperform in upset defeats, emphasizing that opponents deserve equal credit.</p><p>&quot;I always think it&#x27;s an unfair statement when people ask how much a player didn&#x27;t play well,&quot; he said, suggesting Eala&#x27;s performance played a significant role in Świątek&#x27;s struggles.</p><p>Both journalists believe Eala&#x27;s match-up against Paolini in the fourth round will be difficult, but stressed that it will not be wise to count out the young Filipina who has already made sporting history multiple times over for the country.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/othersports/2026/7/6/tennis-eala-back-on-court-gets-set-for-paolini-center-court-clash-1013">READ: Eala back on court, gets set for Paolini center court clash</a></div><p>&quot;Anyone who&#x27;s playing in the fourth round can go to the finals,&quot; Futterman said. &quot;The big grass-court players aren&#x27;t as dominant anymore, and the tournament has had a different champion for nine straight years. Why wouldn&#x27;t there be another one this year?&quot;</p><p>&quot;Nothing&#x27;s easy in the second week of the Slams,&quot; Rothenberg said. &quot;But I think Alex is the more naturally suited grass-court player.&quot;</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="960" height="540" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/b355ieNzYII?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong></div>

<p>Two veteran tennis journalists praised Alex Eala's poise and composure, as the Filipina ace continues her historic campaign in Wimbledon.</p>

Two veteran tennis journalists praised Alex Eala's poise and composure, as the Filipina ace continues her historic campaign in Wimbledon.

Veteran journos full of praise for Alex Eala amid historic Wimbledon run

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

BINI

Sudoku

Word of the Day

Lotto

Horoscope

Sports

Veteran journos full of praise for Alex Eala amid historic Wimbledon run

Dyan Castillejo,

ABS-CBN News

Published July 06, 2026 12:30 PM PHT

|

Updated July 06, 2026 02:33 PM PHT

Read More:

tennis

Wimbledon

Alex Eala

Iga Swiatek

Jasmine Paolini

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.