After securing her first-ever Wimbledon singles main draw victory on the hallowed grass courts of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London, Alex Eala faces an even tougher challenge on Thursday at the Wimbledon Championships.
The 21-year-old Filipina could take the court twice, as she is scheduled to compete in both the singles and doubles events.
Although she missed out on what would have been a blockbuster showdown with women’s tennis legend Serena Williams, Eala will have no shortage of motivation in her second-round singles match.
Instead, she will face Australia’s Maya Joint, who stunned Williams in three sets in the opening round on Wednesday.
Eala and Joint last met in a thrilling final at the WTA Eastbourne Open in June 2025.
Eala held four championship points but was unable to close out the match, allowing Joint to escape with a dramatic 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(10) victory and claim the title.
It was Joint’s second WTA 250 crown after winning the Morocco Open just a month earlier.
The 20-year-old Australian has been regarded as one of the sport’s brightest young talents, reaching a career-high world ranking of No. 26 last February.
At her best, Joint is an aggressive baseliner capable of matching the power and consistency of the top players on the WTA Tour.
However, Joint has struggled to regain her form after dealing with a back injury. She has won just three of her 18 WTA Tour matches this season.
Before her opening-round victory over Williams at Wimbledon, her last WTA Tour main draw win came in January when she reached the quarterfinals of the Adelaide International. She also recorded a victory in early June at the WTA 125 Makarska Open in Croatia.
As a result, Joint’s ranking has dropped to No. 87 in the world.
Eala enters their second-round meeting with momentum, particularly on grass. She owns a 5-3 record on the surface this month, which improves to 10-3 if her five victories during her title run at the WTA 125 Birmingham event are included.
In doubles, Eala and rising 20-year-old Czech partner Nikola Bartůňková will open their campaign against an accomplished pair of Grand Slam champions in Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko and American Sofia Kenin.
Ostapenko, 29, won the 2017 French Open singles title and the 2024 US Open doubles crown. She is currently ranked No. 10 in the WTA doubles rankings.
Kenin, 27, captured the 2020 Australian Open singles title and is currently ranked No. 27 in doubles.
