SUSTAINING her strong start could have been the key for Alex Eala — a clear takeaway from the opposite side of the court, where she had the rare opportunity to debut at Wimbledon against its reigning champion.
The 20-year-old Filipina pushed Czech world No. 16 Barbora Krejcikova to the limit in a two-hour, 10-minute match before falling, 6-3, 2-6, 1-6, on Tuesday night, concluding her maiden campaign at the prestigious grass-court grand slam.
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In the opening set, Eala turned heads as she dominated the veteran, surging to a 5-2 lead and sealing the set with confidence.
But experience eventually prevailed. Krejcikova showed her composure, rallying from a set down and finding her rhythm late to take control of the match.
Still, Eala made quite an impression — especially on the defending champion.
“I would like to start by giving credit to Alex. I mean, what the hell did she play in the first set?” said the 29-year-old Krejcikova in her post-match speech. “She was smashing the ball, she was cleaning the lines and all that, so wow.”
Acknowledging that this is Eala’s first year on the grand slam stage — having also played Roland Garros last May — Krejcikova pointed to the Filipina’s promise and potential.
“It’s the next generation coming,” she added. “She’s going to come out, and she’s going to be really good in the next couple of years, so big credit to her.”
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