Alex Eala was unable to continue her Wimbledon run after falling short in the fourth round.
Eala had beaten Iga Swiatek en route to reaching the fourth round of Wimbledon, which was the best any player from the Philippines had ever done at a Grand Slam tournament.
The 21-year-old was hoping to continue her run by reaching the quarter-finals, but Eala was beaten by Jasmine Paolini 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.
Despite the disappointment of losing one of the biggest matches of her career so far, Eala has been praised for what she did straight after the match.
Annabel Croft praises Alex Eala for her handshake with Jasmine Paolini
Former British number one Annabel Croft reacted to Paolini’s victory over Eala live on BBC’s Radio 5 Live coverage.
Croft was full of praise for both players, but particularly highlighted how sporting Eala was towards Paolini after the match, hugging her opponent despite being beaten.
“I think she has just lit up Wimbledon actually and when you have such a huge win as she did on her way to the fourth round against Iga Swiatek, the defending champion, to do it on such a grand stage, that really puts you on an even bigger stage worldwide in terms of tennis,” said Croft.
“I think it has been amazing and I think she does remind me of when Paolini did that a few years ago. Because there is something about tennis players that draw your character, you kind of light up the audiences because of who you are and the way you play your tennis.
“Paolini did exactly that and I think Eala has too. People warm to her as a person and I think she is a special woman. I think the way that she speaks and everybody remembers that speech she made when she lost that match in Eastbourne.
“I know I said this the other day in the finals but it was such a heartbreaking loss and she’d had match points, but the way she handled that situation, said so much about what sport is all about and we only had to look at the handshake here, it was a warm embrace and that’s a proper handshake and an embrace at the end of the match.
“And I think that is how sport should be, you go out, you do battle and then you kind of walk away with some humility for what your opponent has just done. There was warmth from Paolini towards Eala, everyone loves her I think.”
How many Grand Slams will Alex Eala win in her career? 🏆
She's just knocked out the defending Wimbledon champion!
Marion Bartoli says what she thinks was the difference between Jasmine Paolini and Alex Eala
Eala was heavily strapped on both her right leg and left forearm against Paolini, with former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli convinced she was carrying an injury.
Bartoli also stated her belief that two-time Grand Slam finalist Paolini was able to beat Eala due to her experience on the big match stage.
“In the end, a little bit more experience made the difference,” said Bartoli. “I think Eala did brilliantly and I’m sure she’s really carrying a little bit of an injury in both her leg and her forearm, you don’t come that heavily taped on court if you don’t carry anything.
“But despite that, she absolutely gave everything she had. She got a bit unlucky to get broken with that net cord and Jasmine Paolini just getting out with her best shots when she needed it the most, I thought we had a brilliant fight from both players throughout the two hours and 21 minutes on Centre Court.
“I’m sure we’re going to hear a lot more about Alex Eala, who’s about to walk out of the Centre Court now in front of us, she will receive a massive appreciation from all the Centre Court of Wimbledon, she has given so much, played with so much heart and passion and dedication.”
Croft added, “She’s sort of slightly limping off court isn’t she, although she did walk like that all the way through the match. Rather ended abruptly that match, I felt like we were in for a real tussle and potentially heading towards a tie-break, but not to be.”
How high do you think Alexandra Eala’s ceiling is?
Eala’s impressive grass court season has now come to an end, having won a WTA 125 title in Birmingham, reached the semi-finals in Berlin and now the second week of Wimbledon.
These results have enabled Eala to climb up the rankings and she will now be rewarded with a new career-high ranking of world number 28.
