Paolini ends Eala's historic Wimbledon run, reaches quarter-finals

Jasmine Paolini survived a tense three-set battle on Centre Court to beat Alexandra Eala 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 and book her place in the Wimbledon quarter-finals. The No. 13 seed from Italy used her greater experience in the closing stages to halt the momentum of the 20-year-old Filipina.

Paolini’s win sent her into a third Grand Slam quarter-final and her first since Wimbledon 2024, when she went on to reach the final. She now faces Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk for a place in the semi-finals, after navigating a match that swung sharply when Eala forced a decider by taking the second set. Eala brought the confidence of a player riding a historic week, while Paolini solved the problems as they came and stayed composed when the match tightened.

Eala, the No. 29 seed, had already made history by beating defending champion Iga Swiatek in the third round. That victory made her the first player from the Philippines to reach the second week of a Grand Slam and the first woman from her country to get to the Wimbledon fourth round. Her previous meeting with Paolini earlier this season in Dubai had also gone her way, 6-1, 7-6(5).

Billie Jean King and Roger Federer watched from the Royal Box as the match unfolded. Afterward, Paolini said she felt “so lucky” to have the opportunity and said she needed to stay focused, adding that enjoying what she does is “my superpower.”

The President of the Philippines called her a “real inspiration” for Filipino youth and said, “This is just the beginning.”