ADDING another first to her rising career, Alex Eala will make her debut in the main draw of the 138th Wimbledon Tennis Championships set to unfold on June 30 at the famed All-England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, England.
Her name was included in the star-studded entry list posted on the Wimbledon website, bannered by Spanish back-to-back men’s singles king Carlos Alcaraz and reigning singles queen Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic.
Currently ranked No. 77 in the Women’s Tennis Association world ratings, Eala, 20, will be the first Filipina player to be entered in the prestigious meet, her second straight appearance in a Grand Slam main draw after her fleeting outing in the French Open.
The draw for the Wimbledon women’s singles won’t be out until June 27.
The significance of her achievement was not lost on the US-based website Asian Journal.com, which gave the comely athlete extensive treatment in its story posted last Monday (Sunday in the US).
“Eala’s qualification is more than just another tournament milestone. It’s a symbol of her upward trajectory this year, having reached a career-high WTA ranking of No. 69 in May, and currently standing at world No. 77,” the report said.
“With her ranking well inside the Top 108, she automatically qualifies for Wimbledon’s singles main draw under official tournament rules, which reserve 108 of the 128 entries for players based on their WTA rankings as of early June,” the report explained.
“As a result, Eala will not need to go through qualifying rounds or rely on a wildcard. By doing so, she is set to make history once again—becoming the first Filipina to compete in the Wimbledon singles main draw,” it said. “Her Wimbledon debut continues a breakthrough year.”
“With a 2025 18-14 win-loss record and more than $558,000 (around P31.64 million) in prize earnings, Eala enters the second half of the year as one of Asia’s
rising stars to watch,” the story stressed.
“Her (Eala’s) next moves include potential entries in Bad Homburg or Eastbourne—two critical tune-up events—before she takes center stage at Wimbledon from June 30 to July 13,” the report disclosed of her possible tune-up meets after the Lexus Nottingham Open.
“Eala’s progress is historic not just statistically, but symbolically. In a sport long dominated by Western and European athletes, her presence in major draws affirms the growing footprint of Southeast Asian athletes on the global court,” the report pointed out.
