YEARS after Alex Eala once asked tennis icon Maria Sharapova for a photo, the former world No. 1 is now among those celebrating the Filipina’s rise on the sport’s biggest stage.
Eala etched her name in history after stunning defending champion and world No. 1 Iga Swiatek in straight sets, 7-6, 6-2, to reach the Round of 16 of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships.
Sharapova, a five-time Grand Slam champion and former world No. 1, was quick to acknowledge the breakthrough, leaving a simple but powerful reaction in the comments of Wimbledon’s post celebrating Eala’s victory.
“A star,” Sharapova wrote.
Meanwhile, Billie Jean King, the tennis legend who helped pave the way for equality in women’s sports, has also praised Eala following her historic run at Wimbledon.
King met Eala after the third round last Saturday (Manila time), becoming the first Filipino to reach the Round of 16 at Wimbledon.
“What a treat to spend some time with Alex Eala, fresh off her historic win at Wimbledon today. She is the first Filipino to reach the Round of 16. Such an inspiration for kids in the Philippines and all over the world,” King wrote in a social media post.
The 82-year-old Hall of Famer, whose landmark victory over Bobby Riggs in the iconic 1973 Battle of the Sexes became a defining moment for gender equality in sports, also offered words of encouragement to the rising Filipina.
With tennis still developing in the Philippines, King had a simple but powerful message for Eala: “Keep going for it, Alex!”
