Jasmine Paolini ended Alexandra Eala’s bid to become the first Philippine player to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final since 1953 with a roller-coaster win at Wimbledon.
The 30-year-old overcame some patchy play to prevail 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 on Centre Court in a topsy-turvy clash that featured seven breaks of serve. It is only the third time she has reached the last eight of a major event and the first since 2024. Paolini’s triumph comes after what has been a difficult season. Coming into Wimbledon, she had failed to record back-to-back wins at her last six tournaments.
“It’s great. Stepping on this court is something special. I feel so lucky to get this opportunity and to get this win, as well,” said Paolini.
“I came here (to Wimbledon) playing a few matches in the last months. After the first set in the first round (where she lost 6-0), it could only get better. Game-by-game, I am feeling better on these courts.”
The showdown wasn’t just a milestone for Eala. It was for her country too. As the first player from the Philippines to reach the last 16 of a Grand Slam in the Open Era, a free live public screening match was broadcast at the PhilSports Arena, which has a capacity of up to 8,000 spectators. Furthermore, she has already been praised by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. for her run coming into the match.
With that nation watching her on Centre Court, Eala faced a tricky task against 13th-seed Paolini. The only Italian woman in the Open Era to have contested a Wimbledon singles final, which was in 2024. However, the 30-year-old has struggled in recent months, winning just three of her last nine meetings against top-50 players.
The vastly more experienced Paolini had the upper hand during a turbulent opening set. A backhand winner saw her break early for a 3-1 lead as she capitalised on some mistakes coming from Eala. Moving ahead to 5-2, Paolini encountered her first blip after hitting back-to-back errors to enable the hard-hitting Eala to break back before yet another twist unfolded.
Heading towards the business end, play was briefly suspended after a person in the crowd was taken ill and required medical assistance. When it resumed, Eala failed to seize the moment to level at 5-5 as Paolini worked her way to taking the opening set.
Eala started to come back in the second frame as her rival faltered on court. An erratic Paolini produced 21 unforced errors across 10 games and won less than 50% of her first service points. To add to her woes, she was 40-0 up on Eala’s serve when behind 3-5 but then lost five points in a row as a decider beckoned.
Despite the mixed performance, Paolini held her nerve to prevail after almost two-and-a-half hours in the London heat with temperatures in the low 30s. Converting her first match point with a serve down the middle that Eala returned out.
“Grass is a weird surface. Sometimes you love it, sometimes you hate it,” Paolini explains.
“Today I was really enjoying it and hopefully I can play another good match (in the next round).
“(2026) has been a rollercoaster. There were tough moments but we kept working with my team supporting me. Match by match I’m feeling better. I’m feeling the right way when I compete on court. The most important thing to me is to be positive and enjoy my tennis.”
In-form Kostyuk awaits
Paolini will next take on Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk for a place in the semi-finals later this week. The 12th seed defeated America’s Ashlyn Krueger 6-4, 6-4, in her latest match after recovering from a 2-4 deficit in the second set. It is the first time Kostyuk has managed to reach back-to-back quarter-finals at Grand Slam events after reaching the last four of the French Open earlier this year.
“Today was very hot; the longer you stay on this surface, the worse you feel,” Kostyuk said afterwards with a smile on her face.
“I knew that Ashlyn was on a roll after coming from qualifying and playing 17 matches on grass before this match. I don’t think I have played that many in my entire career!
“It was difficult; I still can’t believe it (she has reached the quarter-finals).“
Kostyuk is enjoying a surge on the Tour in recent weeks, winning 16 out of 17 matches played on clay. In April, she won her maiden WTA 1000 title in Madrid and has recorded nine wins over top-10 players in 2026, but none of those was on grass.
In their head-to-head, Paolini leads 2-1, but they haven’t played against each other since 2023. All of those meetings occurred on a hard court.
