Wimbledon was rocked by a stunning upset on Saturday as defending champion Iga Świątek was knocked out in the third round
Alexandra Eala of Philippines reacts following victory over Iga Swiatek (Image: Clive Brunskill, Getty Images)
There were tears on Centre Court as one Champion was knocked out of the tennis competition.
Wimbledon entered its sixth day of intense action on Saturday (July 4) as competitors battled to secure their place in the fourth round. The compelling order of play featured Emma Navarro (USA) going up against Marta Kostyuk (UKR) on Court Two, while Arthur Fery flew the flag for Great Britain on Court 18 against Belgium’s Zizou Bergs, amongst numerous other fixtures.
Yet it was Centre Court that left spectators utterly stunned as the Philippines’ Alexandra Eala squared off against Poland’s Iga Świątek. Presently sitting third in the global women’s singles rankings, Świątek, 25, is a six-time Grand Slam winner and was competing to retain her title.
Świątek secured her maiden Wimbledon crown last summer when she delivered a devastating 6-0, 6-0 final triumph over Amanda Anisimova. However, she has now been eliminated from this year’s tournament.
Throughout the gripping third-round encounter with 29th seed Eala, Świątek surrendered the opening set in an extraordinary tie-break, 21-19, before collapsing in the second set, going down 7-6 (11-9) 6-2.
While BBC One was broadcasting the Arthur Fery fixture, presenter Clare Balding broke in to confirm that Eala has created history as the first Filipino player to advance to the fourth round of a major championship, reports the Express.
Speaking live from the BBC studios at Wimbledon, in London, Clare announced: “Let us bring you up to date with a major shock. The defending champion, Iga Świątek, is out of Wimbledon, and Alex Eala is the first player from the Philippines ever to reach the fourth round here.
“A huge result, she is immensely popular all around the world, and gets really big crowds following her. Eala is only 21, and this is a massive moment for her, and indeed for the Philippines.”
Having clinched her winning point, Eala collapsed to the ground before swiftly rising to her feet to pay tribute to her opponent, Świątek.
Visibly overcome with emotion during her on-court interview, Eala reflected on her childhood, when such an achievement could only have been the stuff of dreams.
“I’m really emotional. For someone like Iga, who has won so many Grand Slams, or maybe like Serena or Venus, this achievement may seem small but for someone who grew up in the Philippines it is huge,” she said as the crowd cheered.
“I went to train with my brother and my grandfather every day after school with my ruffled socks, light-up shoes, and chubby cheeks, so to younger me, this is everything. But, obviously, just because I’m emotional does not mean I’m satisfied, so next round let’s go!”
All the latest action from Wimbledon is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.