21-year-old Filipino tennis player Alexandra Eala stunned defending champion Iga Swiatek 7-6 (11-9), 6-2 on Wimbledon's Centre Court, making history as the first Filipino to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam in the Open era. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing BBC News.
After the victory, Eala said: "I went to train every day after school with my ruffled socks, light-up shoes and chubby cheeks - to younger me this is everything. It is incredible to have my countrymen cheering me on, knowing that we are all in this together. This goes out to them, my family and all the girls with ruffled socks and chubby cheeks. It means the world."
Eala played tennis as a youngster with her brother and grandfather, and says she still can't keep up with her older brother. She first rose to prominence in 2022 when she was on the cover of Vogue in her home country after becoming the first Filipina to win a junior Grand Slam title at the US Open.
Her breakthrough came at the 2025 Miami Open, where at age 19 and ranked outside the top 100, she defeated Grand Slam champions Swiatek, Jelena Ostapenko and Madison Keys to reach the semi-finals. Since then, she has entered the world's top 30, won two WTA 125 titles, and finished runner-up at Eastbourne last year.
In the build-up to Wimbledon, she beat world number two Elena Rybakina and eighth-ranked Elina Svitolina in Berlin, and also teamed up with Venus Williams in doubles. Her success has skyrocketed her popularity, with long queues for her matches and viewing parties in the Philippines.
Eala said: "I try to be as authentic as I can. My team and my family are the ones who have been putting in the hours. We're the ones who are here at the courts 12 hours in a row. We're the ones who wake up early, who come back home late. I think that work ethic is really what keeps me grounded."