By Joel Reyes
Alex Eala will resume her 2026 Wimbledon singles campaign on Thursday when she faces Maya Joint in the second round.
This will be the second meeting between Eala and Joint. Their first-ever showdown will live long in the memory of Filipino tennis fans as Joint and Eala put on a show in the finals of the 2025 Eastbourne Open.
Eala came close to notching her maiden WTA title in that encounter as she had four championship points in the third-set tiebreak. It was Joint, however, who had the last laugh, recording a 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (10) win to secure the WTA 250 crown.
Eala has the perfect opportunity to exact some revenge on Joint, with the two paired up in a mouth-watering second round matchup.
The Quezon City native made history in her last match against Renata Zarazua, securing her first-ever Grand Slam win at Wimbledon. The No. 29 seed dominated that first-round showdown, recording a 6-1, 6-2 win on Court 12 to become the first Filipino tennis player to win a Wimbledon singles match in the Open Era.
Joint, on the other hand, shocked 23-time Grand Slam singles champion Serena Williams in the first round, outlasting the American legend in three sets, 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-3.