The sweet story of Filipino tennis player Alexandra Eala at the 2026 Wimbledon tournament ended at the hands of Jasmine Paolini, after the Italian won their meeting in the fourth round match at the Center Court, All England Club, London.
Paolini won 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 in a match that lasted 2 hours and 22 minutes to eliminate Eala, who in the previous round had eliminated defending champion Iga Swiatek from Poland.
"Stepping onto this court is always special, and I'm really looking forward to it. The atmosphere here is incredible. I feel very fortunate to be able to play here and win," Paolini said after the match, as quoted.
The victory moved Paolini into the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the second time, after reaching the final in 2024, where she will face Ukraine's Martha Kostyuk. Paolini became the first Italian player to reach the quarterfinals at Wimbledon more than once.
She also became the first Italian woman since Garbine Muguruza at the 2020 Australian Open to reach the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam after losing the first set 0-6 at the start of a Grand Slam.
Since a crushing opening-set defeat against American Robin Montgomery in the first round, Paolini's form has steadily improved.
The victory over Eala extended her winning streak to four straight matches for the first time in the 2026 WTA Tour season.
