Alex Eala has reached the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career, becoming the first Filipino to achieve the feat in the process.

The 29th seed was slow out of the blocks against Maya Joint, who beat the great Serena Williams in the first round, as she lost the opening set, but bounced back and then ran away with the match.

Eala’s 3-6, 6-2, 6-0 win over the Australian earned her a third-round clash against defending champion Iga Swiatek in what will be a third career meeting between the pair, but a first on grass.

The Filipina, of course, won their clash at the 2025 Miami Open when she stunned the then world No 2 in the quarter-final, but Swiatek hit back with a win on the clay in Madrid a few months later.

Q: Alex, would you like to just start off by sharing your thoughts on the match today.

ALEX EALA: “It was a very difficult match, and I’m really proud of how I held my ground and was able to shift the momentum. So I’m really happy.”

Q: You’re the first Filipino player to get to the third round of a Grand Slam in the Open Era. I know you have made history for your country before, but I just wonder, what does it mean to you to keep making that history, to represent your home country?

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ALEX EALA: “Yeah, it sounds super impactful, I know, when you say it like that. It’s an amazing thing for me to be able to do that for my country, but I guess it’s also very emotional every time I’m able to pass a new step or break new ground, just because it’s also personal goals and personal achievements.

“You know, it’s things that I have been working really hard for. It’s things that my team has been working really hard for.

“I really appreciate that I’m able to share this with the nation, but I think first and foremost it makes me super proud because of the work that I’ve put in.”

Q: You’re playing Iga next, the defending champion. You’ve played on hard court, you’ve played on clay this year, tight matches in both of them. How do you preview your first meeting on grass? How do you think your game styles will match up against each other?

ALEX EALA: “That’s a great question. I think it’s going to be tough for me. I’m going to try to make it tough for her, as well.

“You know, it’s a different surface than we’ve played at before, so I think there should be – definitely there should be some different aspects to the last time.

“I mean, she’s won a Slam on grass. She’s won a Slam on clay. Has she won a Slam on hard? I don’t know. She’s won a Slam on hard, so, I mean, you know, I’m expecting a great challenge (smiling).

“But I think I’m ready for it. I’m ready to face it head on, yeah.”

Q: I wanted to ask you about the phrase in your native language on your sweatshirt and back of your visor. I have the translation here, but why does the phrase resonate with you, and why that one in particular?

ALEX EALA: “So this was a really nice gesture from Nike. It’s a quote in Tagalog. It says, “Kapag lumago, hindi na hihinto.” That loosely translates to, “Once it grows, it cannot be stopped,” or “it’s unstoppable.”

“Of course we’re running with the theme of the sampaguita flower, which last year I wore on my head.

“I think it’s so sentimental to be able wear, like, things or I guess to carry parts of my culture with me on court, because of course it’s a huge reason as to who I am. I think where I come from is a big part of who I am and a big part of who I want to become in the future.

“And for me to be able to represent the Philippines in Wimbledon, I guess, and in the biggest stages in the world, it means so much to me, yeah.”

Q: Given how much you are representing your country and so many people take pride off your results, is it ever kind of a challenge to make sure that you prioritise yourself and that your personal goals are No. 1 for you?

ALEX EALA: “Yes. Well, my personal goals have always been my priority, right? This is my journey. I’m happy to be able to share it with everyone who wants to take part.

“But I think one of the biggest things that makes it natural and easier to handle is that it’s genuine. So my whole story is very genuine. It’s very close to my heart.

“I’m not trying to be anyone who I’m not. I’m not trying to stray from my values.

“So I think that makes it easier for me to carry myself, and for me to, you know, handle these situations.

“You know, there’s pressure in everyday life, and even more so as a competitive athlete. I think in that regard, everybody, all of you guys probably, you know, you have had to find your way to work around pressure. So it’s no different with me, yeah.”

Q: On a different subject, completely have you ever lost your accreditation before?

ALEX EALA: “Oh, my God. This year in Rome, I lost it three times. Yes. Wait, wait, wait, let me…

“First time, another player took it by accident. I had to get another one. My fitness coach was the one who got them again and again and again.

“So first time, someone else took it. Second time, I left it in the hotel. Third time, I actually lost it. Yeah. (Laughter.)”

Q: I have another question about your next match. Francisco Roig, have you had a chance to work with him at academy?

ALEX EALA: “I have never personally worked with Francis, yes.

Q: But you are aware that he work for many years with Rafa Nadal?”

ALEX EALA: “Yes.”

Q: Do you think he can improve Iga’s game a lot and she can be more and more dangerous now for you?

ALEX EALA: “Well, I think, first and foremost, Iga will always be a dangerous player. Secondly, that’s not really for me to say. I can’t tell the future, no, but I know and I’m sure that they are working really hard every day. You don’t become, what, like six-time, seven-time Grand Slam champion just by not working hard.

“Yeah, but that’s not for me to say, yeah.”

Q: What do you like the most in being professional tennis player?

ALEX EALA: “Oh, what do I like the most? It’s difficult to choose, because this has been what I wanted to do my whole life. I love competition. I love facing the pressure moments head on. I love coming out of those moments stronger than I was when I entered it. And I love the lessons and the people I learn being a professional, yeah.”