Eala Seeks Wimbledon Revenge Against Zarazua, Potential Williams Clash Looms

Alex Eala gets a second shot at Renata Zarazua on Tuesday, with a potential meeting against Serena Williams waiting in the next round.

The match at Court 12 of the All England Club is scheduled for 8:50 p.m. Manila time. The winner faces either 23-time major champion Williams or Australian Maya Joint in the second round.

Eala lost their first encounter at the W100 Cary Tennis Classic quarterfinals in August 2024, falling 6-3, 4-6, 3-6. Both players have climbed since. Eala now sits at world No. 32 and is the Wimbledon No. 29 seed – the first Filipino seeded player in a Grand Slam singles draw. She was 19 and ranked No. 147 when Zarazua, then No. 104, beat her. Zarazua has since risen to No. 75 with a career-best of No. 51.

The two also know each other as doubles partners. They reached the second round together at the French Open last year.

Eala enters on strong grass-court form. She holds a 9-3 win-loss record this season on the surface, capped by a perfect run to the 125 Birmingham Open title earlier this month and a semifinal finish at the 500 Berlin Open. In Berlin, she beat newly-minted Queen's Club champion Donna Vekic 7-5, 6-4, then stunned world No. 2 Elena Rybakina 7-5, 6-4, and No. 8 Elina Svitolina 6-3, 6-4. Her run ended with a 2-6, 4-6 semifinal loss to Linda Noskova on June 21, followed by a first-round defeat to Elise Mertens at the Bad Homburg Open, 3-6, 3-6, on June 23.