Alex Eala one win from dream Serena Williams match at Wimbledon

The Wimbledon draw set up a potential second-round meeting between Philippine No. 29 seed Alex Eala and 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams. The draw was released Friday.

Eala opens against Mexico's Renata Zarazua, ranked 76th. Williams draws Australian wildcard Maya Joint. If both win their first matches, they meet in the round of 64.

Williams, 44, returned to competition this month. She played doubles at the HSBC Championships with Victoria Mboko. The pair won before Mboko's knee injury ended their run. She then played Berlin with Karolina Muchova and lost in the first round. Williams has not played a singles match since stepping away in 2022.

Eala, 21, enters Wimbledon ranked 30th, seeded 29th. She reached the third round of the Australian Open in January. She has never faced Williams.

A second-round matchup would be the first between a Philippine-born player and Williams in a major. Williams holds the record for most weeks at world No. 1 – 319 total, including 186 consecutive across two years. She has won seven Wimbledon singles titles.

The tournament runs June 29 to July 12. Eala and Zarazua play on opening day. Williams and Joint play no earlier than Tuesday.