Eala rallies past Joint to book historic Wimbledon third-round berth

Alex Eala produced a remarkable comeback on Thursday, overturning a one-set deficit to defeat Maya Joint, 3-6, 6-2, 6-0, in the second round of Wimbledon and reach the third round of a Grand Slam singles tournament for the first time in her career.

The 21-year-old Filipina also avenged her painful loss to the Australian in last year’s WTA Eastbourne Open final, where Joint saved four championship points before pulling off a dramatic turnaround.

Seeded No. 29, Eala arrived at the All England Club in strong form after a standout grass-court swing, highlighted by her WTA 125 Birmingham Open title and a semifinal run at the WTA 500 Berlin Tennis Open, where she recorded wins over top players including Donna Vekic, Elina Svitolina, and Elena Rybakina.

Joint, for her part, came in confident after advancing to the second round in her Wimbledon debut.

The Australian started strongly, breaking early to take a 2-0 lead and dictating play with aggressive baseline hitting. Eala initially struggled with consistency as Joint controlled the opening set, sealing it with another late break in the ninth game.

The match shifted in the second set.

Eala found her range and immediately responded with an early break, taking a 2-1 lead and beginning to extend rallies on her terms. She broke again in the seventh game, steadied her serve, and leveled the match as Joint’s level dipped under sustained pressure.

From there, Eala took full control in the decider.

She broke Joint in the opening game and again in the third to race to a 3-0 lead, winning six straight games as she overwhelmed the Australian from the baseline and closed out a dominant final set without conceding a game.

The victory sends Eala into the Wimbledon third round for the first time, adding another milestone to her breakthrough 2026 campaign.

Next up is a blockbuster clash against defending champion and No. 3 seed Iga Swiatek of Poland.

The two have already split their previous meetings—Eala winning in straight sets at the 2025 Miami Open, before Swiatek responded with a three-set victory at the Madrid Open.