Alex Eala beats Australia's Maya Joint to continue historic Wimbledon run

Alex Eala overcame a slow start to secure a stunning comeback victory at the 2026 Wimbledon Open on Thursday, defeating Australia’s Maya Joint.

It was a moment of revenge for Eala, who had lost to Joint at the Lexus Eastbourne Open championship last year.

After losing the first set at this year's women's singles match, the Filipina athlete fought back hard to win the match 3-6, 6-2, 6-0 in under two hours.

Eala quickly turned things around in the second set, pulling away to win 6-2 and force a final third set.

In the last frame, Eala took control, sweeping the final set 6-0.

"I really had to dig deep, especially after that first set," Eala said after the match. "Maya came out on fire, she came out ready and I was expecting a really good match."

Eala also paid respect to her opponent, saying, "She, obviously, is coming off an amazing win [against Serena Williams]. I watched it, and I think she played really well and handled herself really well in that situation."

Following the win, she is set to face defending champion, Iga Swiatek. Eala is also competing in the doubles tournament on Friday morning (PH time), teaming up with Nikola Bartunkova to face Jelena Ostapenko and Sofia Kenin.

This is Eala's second win in Wimbledon, after defeating Mexico's Renata Zarazúa in the first round with a 6–1, 6–2 victory last June 30.

She is the first Filipino to win a singles main draw match in Wimbledon.