Eala reaches Wimbledon third round, first Filipino to do so
Synopsis
Alexandra Eala has rewritten Philippine tennis history at Wimbledon 2025, becoming the first Filipino ever to reach the third round at the All England Club — and doing it with a stunning 3-6, 6-2, 6-0 comeback against the same opponent who beat her in a 12-10 tie-break heartbreaker at Eastbourne last year.
Key Takeaways
Alexandra Eala defeated Maya Joint 3-6, 6-2, 6-0 on 2 July 2025 to reach the Wimbledon third round.
Eala, 21 , is the first Filipino player ever to advance to the third round at The Championships .
The win was revenge for a painful Eastbourne final loss to Joint the previous year, which ended 12-10 in the deciding tie-break.
21 seed Marie Bouzkova and Emma Navarro also advanced, both reaching the third round for the third time at Wimbledon .
Liudmila Samsonova upset No.
15 seed Diana Shnaider 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 to set up a third-round clash with Bouzkova .
Alexandra Eala of the Philippines made history at Wimbledon 2025 on Thursday, 2 July, becoming the first Filipino player ever to reach the third round at The Championships, defeating Australia's Maya Joint 3-6, 6-2, 6-0 in just under two hours at the All England Club in London.
How the Match Unfolded
Joint came into the contest in sharp form, having beaten a high-profile opponent days earlier, and she showed it by taking the opening set 6-3. The Australian looked composed and purposeful in the early stages, threatening to run away with the contest.
But Eala, 21, refused to fold. Buoyed by vocal support from fans waving the Filipino flag in the stands, she clawed her way back into the match, levelling at one set apiece with a dominant 6-2 second set. In the decider, she broke early and never looked back, closing out the third set 6-0 to seal a comprehensive comeback.
Historic Significance for Philippine Tennis
The victory carries weight well beyond a single match result. No Filipino player had previously advanced past the second round at Wimbledon, making Eala's run a landmark moment for tennis in the Philippines. Notably, the win also served as long-awaited redemption: Eala had lost to Joint in the Eastbourne final the previous year in an agonising deciding-set tie-break that ended 12-10.
Other Third-Round Qualifiers
Marie Bouzkova, the No. 21 seed, recovered from an early break in the first set to defeat Grant 7-5, 6-3, reaching the third round at Wimbledon for the third time. Her best result at the All England Club remains a quarterfinal run in 2022. She will next face Liudmila Samsonova, last year's Wimbledon quarterfinalist, who upset No. 15 seed Diana Shnaider 6-4, 4-6, 6-2. Samsonova leads their head-to-head 3-2 on the WTA Tour, though Bouzkova won their only previous grass-court meeting.
Emma Navarro, who had lost to Bouzkova in the Nottingham Open final two weeks earlier, rallied past Oksana Selekhmeteva 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 to reach the third round at Wimbledon for the third consecutive year. The American, who reached the quarterfinals in 2024 and the fourth round in 2023, has now won 14 of her past 18 tour-level matches. She will next face either No. 12 seed Marta Kostyuk or Anna Blinkova.
What to Watch Next
Eala's third-round opponent is yet to be confirmed, but her run has already rewritten Philippine tennis history. The second week of Wimbledon 2025 will reveal whether this breakthrough signals a sustained rise or remains a singular milestone for the 21-year-old.
Point of View
Settled at 12-10 in a tie-break, could have defined her narrative as nearly-there; instead she used it as a blueprint. What the scoreline — 6-2, 6-0 in the final two sets — also tells you is that this was not a grind, it was a statement. Whether the draw opens up enough for her to go deeper will test whether this is a breakthrough or a ceiling.
NationPress
2 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Alexandra Eala and why is her Wimbledon result historic?
Alexandra Eala is a 21-year-old tennis player from the Philippines. Her third-round appearance at Wimbledon 2025 is historic because she is the first Filipino player ever to advance past the second round at The Championships.
What was the scoreline in Eala's win over Maya Joint?
Eala defeated Joint 3-6, 6-2, 6-0 in just under two hours on 2 July 2025 at the All England Club. She lost the first set before dominating the final two sets.
Had Eala played Joint before this match?
Yes. Eala lost to Joint in the Eastbourne final the previous year in a deciding-set tie-break that ended 12-10, making Thursday's victory a reversal of that result.
Which other players advanced to the Wimbledon 2025 third round on the same day?
No. 21 seed Marie Bouzkova defeated Grant 7-5, 6-3, and Emma Navarro rallied past Oksana Selekhmeteva 3-6, 6-4, 6-1. Liudmila Samsonova also advanced, upsetting No. 15 seed Diana Shnaider 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.
What is Emma Navarro's record heading into the third round?
Navarro has won 14 of her past 18 tour-level matches and is making her third consecutive Wimbledon third-round appearance, having reached the quarterfinals in 2024 and the fourth round in 2023.
