MANILA, Philippines — Alex Eala kept her breakthrough Wimbledon campaign alive after rallying past Maya Joint on Thursday to reach the third round, where a blockbuster showdown with defending champion Iga Swiatek awaits.
The 21-year-old Filipina recovered from a slow start before dominating the rest of the match, defeating Joint, 3-6, 6-2, 6-0, late Thursday night (Manila time) to become the first seeded Filipina to reach the third round of Wimbledon.
The victory also extended Eala’s historic run at the All England Club, where she has already become the first seeded female player from the Philippines to win multiple main-draw matches.
Her reward is another meeting with Swiatek, with their rivalry now shifting to grass for the first time.
The two have split their previous two encounters.
Eala stunned the Polish star at the Miami Open last year, pulling off one of the biggest upsets of the tournament and launching her rise on the WTA Tour.
Swiatek responded a month later by overcoming a one-set deficit to beat Eala in the second round of the Madrid Open on clay.
Their third-round clash on Saturday (Manila time) will mark their first meeting on grass.
Elsewhere at Wimbledon, Novak Djokovic delivered a dominant performance to reach the third round, defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2, in just 98 minutes.
The seven-time Wimbledon champion fired 33 winners while committing only seven unforced errors to stay on course for a record 25th Grand Slam singles title.
Djokovic will next face 25th-seeded Arthur Rinderknech.
“I’m feeling great. I like the terminology ‘vintage.’ It brings back the best days and you feel very satisfied and joyful on the court when you’re playing this way,” Djokovic said.
World No. 1 Jannik Sinner also advanced after edging Portugal’s Nuno Borges, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (2), 6-4.
Meanwhile, French Open champion Mirra Andreeva suffered an early exit as former Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova rallied for a 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 victory.
