Alexandra Eala Earns Coco Gauff, Maria Sharapova, and Others’ Support After Świątek Upset

Alexandra Eala continued her excellent run of form by upsetting defending champion Iga Świątek in the third round of the Wimbledon Championships. She is now preparing for her maiden fourth-round appearance at a Grand Slam.

After the historic win on Saturday, the 21-year-old received messages of support from the tennis community, including Coco Gauff, Maria Sharapova, and Eva Lys.

Tennis Community Sends Messages to Alexandra Eala Amid Wimbledon Progress

Eala has been in fine form since the start of the grass-court swing and arrived at Wimbledon with one Challenger-level title and wins over Elena Rybakina and Elina Svitolina under her belt. The Filipino tennis star continued that run with a statement win over Świątek on Saturday.

After a tight first set, Eala took control from the start of the second and sent the reigning Wimbledon women’s singles champion packing in a stunning upset. She broke Świątek’s normally potent serve at will and created several promising opportunities for herself over the course of the match while winning the crucial points and saving eight break points.

The performance and Eala’s emotional comments during her post-match on-court interview earned her a lot of plaudits from the tennis community.

Sharapova, a five-time Grand Slam champion, hailed Eala in the comments on her Instagram post. “A star,” she wrote.

Eala’s friend and fellow tennis star Eva Lys also shared her reaction. “Making me tear up,” she wrote, adding, “I am crying… What..”

Gauff, a two-time Grand Slam champion, also showed her support for Eala by commenting under her post with the smiling face with heart-eyes emoji. Marta Kostyuk, meanwhile, shared her appreciation with a teary-eyed emoji.

“Just the beginning,” her friend Zeynep Sönmez said. Ajla Tomljanović also heaped praise on Eala and sent her messages of support. “Go you good thing,” wrote the Australian.

Early-season struggles on the hard courts and during the clay-court swing cast doubt on Eala’s form and potential. However, she has since silenced those concerns, rediscovering her rhythm on one of the sport’s most prestigious stages.

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Eala has now won 12 of her 15 matches since the start of the grass-court swing, showcasing her prowess on the surface. Her exemplary return skills and remarkable composure have been crucial to her success.

Next up for Eala at the Wimbledon Championships is a fourth-round clash against 2024 finalist Jasmine Paolini. The Italian is a player Eala has already beaten this year, and another victory on Monday would help her continue her historic run at Wimbledon.