Alexandra Eala has once again made her country proud at a Grand Slam, but her run at Wimbledon is sadly over.
It was brought to a screeching halt earlier today by Jasmine Paolini, who narrowly edged a hard-fought affair on Centre Court.
In a match decided by extremely small margins, there is cause for immense optimism from this affable Filipina sensation, who had beaten the defending champion Iga Swiatek in the previous round.
She spoke afterwards about the struggles of transitioning from such a huge, emotional and historic victory to the next match, when reviewing her loss to Paolini.
Alex Eala admits she’s ‘proud’ of her Wimbledon run despite loss
Alexandra Eala began with an assessment of her performance, and how her opponent unsettled her: “Yes, of course there are things that I would have liked to do differently.
“But in the end, I think that’s just tennis. That’s also what’s beautiful about tennis, is that every match, it’s different in a sense. You’re always finding solutions; the opponent is always finding ways to make you uncomfortable.
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“I think Jasmine did that pretty well today. She really went for her shots. She definitely made me feel uncomfortable in certain moments of the match.”
She then highlighted an overwhelming problem which contributed to her defeat: “Yeah, I think my serve was not as good today as maybe other matches. But I have days like that. Everyone has days where they don’t play their best tennis.
“I understand that’s part of the job. I don’t think I’m going to be playing the best tennis of my life every single day. I don’t expect that.
“With that being said, I’m really proud of how I handled things. I think I just have to kind of move forward and continue with my progress.”
Eala has been praised for what she did straight after losing at Wimbledon, heralded as a player that seemingly nobody dislikes.
Alex Eala is getting exceptionally close to being a top player on the WTA Tour
With each passing week, it feels as though we are seeing the rapid development of Eala’s game. She has come on so much in just a year, and it’s frightening to imagine just how improved she might be in another 12 months’ time.
Recent wins over Elena Rybakina and now Swiatek at a major tournament are indicative of her bridging the gap, with the 21-year-old boasting a 7–4 winning record against top ten opponents.
Asked to name the main difficulties that come with trying to get even closer to the pinnacle of this sport, Eala added: “It’s very fine, it’s very fine details. With tennis and matches that are tight, it sometimes can depend on one point or two. I think it’s how you manage yourself during those moments.
“Looking back, for example, I have one point, and did I stick with my game, did I stick with the game plan, did I do everything I could at that moment? I think that’s all you can really do is do your best, right?
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“There are so many external factors that you cannot control. You cannot control how she plays. You cannot control if there’s wind. You cannot control if it’s super hot or it’s super cold. The only thing I can control is how I approach those situations. If I’m able to approach them with bravery, with a steady mind and with intensity, then I’m able to look back and feel no regret, yeah.”
The youngster now sits 28th in the WTA live rankings after this run at Wimbledon – a new career high.
Paolini sent a message to Roger Federer after her win over Eala, heralding her hero after reaching another Grand Slam quarter-final.
