Alex Eala earns sweet revenge vs Maya Joint to extend Wimbledon run

MANILA, Philippines – Alex Eala avenged one of the most heartbreaking defeats of her career with one of her sweetest victories against the same opponent.

Eala advanced to the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time after a 3-6, 6-2, 6-0 win over Australia’s Maya Joint in the round of 64 of the Wimbledon Championships at Court 3 of the All England Club on Thursday, July 2.

The come-from-behind triumph allowed Eala to redeem herself after she fell achingly short of her first WTA Tour title following a three-set loss to Joint in the final of the 2025 Eastbourne Open.

“It hit me quite hard. I cried a lot, and I think I wasn’t able to watch those highlights for a couple of months. I’m really happy. I think I improved a lot this past year, and I’m happy that I’m able to look back at that loss and I’m able to smile,” said Eala.

That Eastbourne Open final saw Eala blow four championship points as Joint captured the WTA 250 crown by way of a narrow 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (10) win. 

But Eala refused a repeat of that defeat by dominating the second half of Thursday’s match that took 1 hour and 57 minutes to finish, winning all of the last nine games to eliminate the world No. 87 Australian and book her spot in the round of 32. 

The turning point of the match came in the third game of the deciding set, with Joint on serve and on the cusp of cutting her deficit to 1-2 as she gained the advantage after five deuces, only to lose her nerve with three consecutive errors.

Joint dumped back-to-back shots into the net, then hit another one that sailed wide, paving the way for Eala to clinch a commanding 3-0 lead.

Eala cruised from there as she won the next three games, including a love break in the fifth, as she arranged a clash with defending champion and six-time Grand Slam winner Iga Swiatek in the next round. 

“I have been working extremely hard. My team has been working extremely hard. I really feel like it’s paying off. These wins mean a lot,” said Eala.

Ranked 32nd in the world and seeded 29th, Eala rose to the occasion as she neutralized a confident Joint who was fresh from a gallant three-set win over 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams in the previous round.

That composure showed, with Joint making quick work of Eala in a first set that ended in just 34 minutes.

Eala, though, turned the tide as she reeled off three consecutive games to grab a 3-1 lead in the second set and three more in succession after Joint pulled within 2-3 to force a decider.

“She obviously is coming off an amazing win. I think she played really well and handled herself really well in that situation,” said Eala. “Knowing that, I really had to dig deep.”

With the win, Eala eclipsed her campaign in the 2025 US Open, where she became the first Filipino to win a Grand Slam main draw match in the Open era when she stunned Denmark’s Clara Tauson in the opening round before she lost her next match to Spain’s Cristina Bucsa. – Rappler.com