LONDON (AP) 鈥� Despite falling short of reaching the quarterfinals, Alexandra Eala still made a lasting impact at .
The 21-year-old Filipina had but couldn’t solve Jasmine Paolini on , losing 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 on Centre Court.
For Filipino fans 鈥� both at watch parties back home and at the All England Club 鈥� it’s not always about wins and losses.
鈥淪he鈥檚 like a ray of hope for the Philippines,鈥� fan Roberto Ocampo Jr. said Monday at Wimbledon. 鈥淓specially at her age. She made history. That鈥檚 one thing that we can tell to the next generation.鈥�
Eala, who in her Wimbledon debut, became the first player from the Philippines to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam singles tournament in the Open era, the women鈥檚 professional tour said.
鈥淪etting foot here is already a big achievement,鈥� said Ocampo, a London-based nurse.
The left-handed Eala talked this week about Filipino pride and being a role model for kids back home. But she also made it clear that she has big plans for her tennis career.
In dissecting her loss to Paolini, she pointed to problems with her serve.
鈥淏ut I have days like that. Everyone has days where they don鈥檛 play their best tennis,鈥� said Eala, who trained at the Rafael Nadal Tennis Academy in Spain as a teenager. 鈥淚 understand that鈥檚 part of the job. I don鈥檛 think I鈥檓 going to be playing the best tennis of my life every single day.
鈥淲ith that being said,鈥� she added, “I鈥檓 really proud of how I handled things. I just have to kind of move forward and continue with my progress.鈥�
Eala, who made a breakthrough in March 2025 by , has elevated her stardom at Wimbledon, both on and off the court.
Eala met , and . A photo of Eala diving for a ball in the match against Swiatek also has made the rounds, with edits showing Eala wearing a cape and 鈥淪uperwoman鈥� outfit.
The Philippines Embassy in the U.K. has and posted congratulatory notes.
Filipinos love their sports stars
Eala spoke earlier in the tournament about her childhood memories of .
鈥淲hen he would have fights, it would really be like holidays in the Philippines,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e would gather and we would watch his fights. People would go off work. It would really be an event. He is someone super inspiring as an athlete.鈥�
Filipino Olympic champions are treated as national heroes. Gymnast , who won two gold medals in the Paris Olympics, returned home to pledges of cash and gifts, including a house. Eala also cited champion weightlifter .
And now there’s Eala.
Ocampo, the tennis fan at Wimbledon, hopes that Eala’s success leads to more .
鈥淭his kind of sport (many) are not privileged enough to hold a tennis racket,” he said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 so many kids back home, they have the talent. They need the opportunity.鈥�
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