For most players, a slower serve is a liability.
For Alex Eala, it became one of the biggest weapons behind one of the greatest victories of her career.
Fresh off her stunning 7-6 (9), 6-2 upset of defending champion Iga Swiatek in the third round of Wimbledon on Saturday evening (Manila time), Eala revealed that while she has never relied on power behind her serve, she has learned to maximize it in ways that fit her game.
“I’ve never really been the biggest server compared to a lot of the girls here, so I do my best to use my serve as an advantage,” Eala said.
“I think I have a lot of other strengths, although I believe my serve has been improving a lot. Every player is different, and maybe Iga today had… She said that? Okay. So I guess I did my job well.”
That “job” was far more effective than the speed gun suggested.
While Swiatek typically averages serves of around 102 mph, Eala’s first serve at Wimbledon averaged just 87 mph, with second serves between 74 and 76 mph — well below the tour’s biggest hitters.
Instead of overpowering her opponent, the 21-year-old Filipina repeatedly disrupted Swiatek’s timing through variance.
It proved to be one of the decisive tactical battles of the match.
“I think it was tougher mentally for me to accept these missed returns from the slow serves,” Swiatek admitted after the loss.
“I have to say it’s much tougher to return a serve like that than a normal serve. I know it was slow, I know exactly how it’s going to come to me, but it’s such a different rhythm than what I usually have a chance to return.”
The six-time Grand Slam champion said the problem only became more pronounced as the match wore on.
“The first set was a good fight, and I know it’s hard to lose such a long set. One ball here or there could have changed a lot,” Swiatek said. “I wanted to be present in the second set, but I made some unforced errors at the beginning.
“Then I felt like she was serving slower and slower, and it became tougher and tougher for me to return those serves. That was hard for me to accept.”
Unlike many of the tour’s elite servers, Eala relied on placement rather than velocity, forcing Swiatek to constantly adjust her positioning on return.
“Even though the top players play super fast and serve fast, you also need to be ready for this kind of rhythm,” Swiatek explained.
“She serves slow, so you need to step in. The court becomes short, and suddenly if I want to put my topspin on the ball, I feel like I need to play it really short.”
She added that the challenge extended beyond simply reading the serve.
“Many balls also just stayed low after the bounce, and I didn’t adjust well. I would really need to step halfway into the court to return more naturally. So I don’t know. Even though it’s super slow and people might think it’s easy to return, it’s actually quite the opposite,” Swiatek continued.
“It’s definitely something to work on.”
The effectiveness of Eala’s serve complemented an aggressive baseline game that saw her dictate many of the biggest points, particularly during a gripping first-set tiebreak.
After letting a 5-2 lead slip, Eala remained fearless, eventually converting her third set point to seize the momentum for good.
“Against Iga, I just try to play my game,” Eala said. “I’m a very aggressive player, so I try to take every opportunity I can.
“On grass, I try to step in, be brave, and whenever I see an opportunity, I go for it. That’s been the whole idea behind my game.”
Swiatek acknowledged that courage ultimately made the difference in the match’s defining moments.
“In the tiebreak, I remember when it was tight, I slowed down a bit, but she was brave enough to play faster,” Swiatek said. “You need to be brave to win those points. It was hard for me to find the balance between the speed I have — which has made me lose some matches this year because I was playing too fast — and being solid.
“I didn’t find that balance today. She played better in the important moments.”
For one afternoon at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Eala showed that the fastest serve is not always the most dangerous.
