Seed No. 29 Eala faces No. 13 Paolini of Italy in Round of 16

WHETHER she’s falling down like the London Bridge or standing tall like the Victoria Memorial at Buckingham Palace, Alexandra “Alex” Eala will swing and slug it out against whoever stands in her way in a bid to crack Wimbledon’s Last 8.

Against champions one after another it may be, including Olympic gold medalist Jasmine Paolini of Italy this time around, the Filipina warrior rides on the heels of Philippine tennis herstory to tread another uncharted path in the highly-anticipated Round of 16 clash at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on Monday.

“Just because I’m emotional doesn’t mean I’m satisfied. So let’s move on to the next round and let’s go,” declared the 21-year-old Ms. Eala shortly after unseating reigning Wimbledon queen and world No. 3 Iga Swiatek of Poland in the third round under the bright lights of the Centre Court, 7-6(9), 6-2.

Ms. Eala, No. 29 seed, and Ms. Paolini, No. 13, will lock horns at a still-to-be-determined game time and court designation on Monday but as early as now, the anticipation is already at an all-time high following the Filipina pride’s Earth-jolting upset of the 25-year-old and six-time Slam champion Ms. Swiatek.

Winner gets to face either No. 12 seed Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine — Ms. Eala’s good friend — or unseeded Ashlyn Krueger of the United States in the quarterfinals.

From 128 best players, Ms. Eala made it to the Last 16 behind an epic triumph that sent shockwaves not only to the 120-million strong Philippine nation but to every corner of the world with all-time high social media engagements on Wimbledon pages.

Ms. Eala’s winning clips gained more than 400,000 reactions and 20 million views on Facebook while it already ballooned to more than 600,000 likes and 20 million views on Instagram as well.

The world was a witness to Ms. Eala’s majestic rise as the first Filipino — man or woman — to reach the Round of 16 of any Grand Slam ever as she received greetings from multiple local and international personalities, including an encounter from Catherine, Princess of Wales, prior to her London moonshot.

As if her previous feats as the first Filipina player to ever get seeded in any Slam main draw, first Filipina match-winner in any major and first Filipino to barge into the third round weren’t enough.

For that alone, she gained quite new fans. Name it: President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao and legendary artist Lea Salonga led the local delegation while 39-time Grand Slam champion Billie Jean King and five-time Slam queen Maria Sharapova were among the international stars who showered Ms. Eala with love and praises.

Even superheroes like Andrew Garfield (Spider-Man) and Tom Hiddleston (Loki) were among the London crowd who jumped in amazement and euphoria after Ms. Eala ended the reign of the Pole superstar.

“(Alex) is a star,” said the 39-year-old Ms. Sharapova, Ms. Eala’s “super idol.” Their photo back when Ms. Eala was still a kid during Ms. Sharapova’s reign as the No. 1 player in the 2000s is now a trending photo online.

But nothing compares to her image of hitting the ball while diving straight up to the elegant grass of the All England Club — considered as the mecca and oldest tennis venue in the world.

It has become the poster of every news outlet on Earth that symbolizes the resilience, grit and never-say-die mantra of Ms. Eala and the Filipinos against all odds, against champions and titans of the sport.

And that will be tested once more against another giant of the sport in Ms. Paolini, a finalist of the Wimbledon and French Open in 2024 with one Slam doubles crown and Olympic doubles gold in her pocket to loom as the heavy favorite.

“I think Jasmine (Paolini) is a great player. She is a great fighter especially it was not an easy match in Dubai for me. It will not be an easy match here either,” said Ms. Eala, who previously stunned Ms. Paolini in the Dubai Tennis Championships earlier this year, 6-1, 7-6 (7-5).

What makes it easier for Ms. Eala, if anything, is the waves of support online and onsite along with the momentum of the greatest run for Philippine tennis in any major ever.

And stopping that Pacific tsunami in the England shores that seem like Ms. Eala’s homeland would be “dangerous” for Ms. Paolini.

“I think the game of Ms. Eala suits very well to grass. She showed a great level of play in Berlin. I think she’s a very dangerous player here in Wimbledon,” admitted Ms. Paolini, who made short work of No. 43 Maria Sakkari of Greece, 6-1, 6-2, in the other third-round pairing.

“It’s going to be a tough one.”

After Ms. Swiatek, Ms. Eala has now beaten seven Top 10 players in her blooming career and she’s out to add an Olympic champion to that growing list.

“This is about Filipino fan culture and I think it’s beyond tennis. It’s in the sport, in music, in boxing and in all fields,” beamed Ms. Eala, drawing inspiration from Hall of Fame boxer Mr. Pacquiao in trying to break the global sporting scene as well.

With a chance to march on to a major quarterfinal, it’s now for Ms. Eala’s taking — regardless if she’s falling down to swing and hit the ball all over again, until she could not anymore. — John Bryan Ulanday