By Martyn Herman
LONDON, July 6 (Reuters) – Italy’s Jasmine Paolini ended Alexandra Eala’s trailblazing Wimbledon run in the fourth round with a 6-4 4-6 6-3 victory on a baking hot Centre Court on Monday.
The 21-year-old left-hander Eala is the first player from the Philippines to go so far in a Grand Slam and she pushed the 2024 runner-up hard throughout an absorbing contest.
Eala, seeded 29, has captivated Wimbledon crowds with her bubbly personality and the free-flowing game which accounted for defending champion Iga Swiatek on Saturday.
But it was the equally popular Paolini who raised her level at key moments to reach the quarter-finals for the second time.
‘GRASS IS A WEIRD SURFACE,’ PAOLINI SAYS
The 13th seed’s participation at Wimbledon was in doubt with a foot injury that has dogged her season and meant she played just one grasscourt match in her Wimbledon build-up.
Her tournament began with her losing the first set of her opener against Robin Montgomery 6-0, but since that shaky start, the 30-year-old has rediscovered her bounce.
“I came here without many matches in the last month and after the first set in the first round, it was like ‘okay I can only get better, it can’t go worse’,” Paolini said on court.
“I’m feeling better point by point and game by game. Grass is a weird surface, sometimes you love it, sometimes you hate, but when you play well and feel good, it’s the best surface.”
Paolini had some celebrity support, with compatriot Kimi Antonelli, the F1 championship leader, in the Royal Box alongside Roger Federer.
EALA CHEERED ON IN MANILA
Eala has become the darling of Wimbledon though and was also being cheered on by 8,000 fans at a PhilSports Arena watch party in Manila where her rise up the rankings has captured the public’s imagination.
She looked a little edgy to start with, however, as Paolini came out full of positive energy to lead 4-1.
Eala soon settled and she broke back as Paolini served for the set, only to drop her own serve in the following game with a baseline error.
With the mercury rising and some fans opting to leave the court in search of shade, Eala found more depth with her ground strokes in the second set as service breaks were swapped.
As errors began to fly off the Paolini racket, Eala got another service break and this time made it stick as she took the match into a deciding set.
The match was poised on a knife edge going into the third but Paolini’s greater experience told as she piled on the pressure to break serve for 5-3 and then finished the job in the next game as Eala sent a return wide.
While it was a disappointing end for Eala, it was her first major impact at a Grand Slam and she said she would go forward with renewed confidence.
“It’s been one of my best results, right? Of course, it will add confidence,” she said. “I think it’s important that every match I played this week, and every match that I play, I go in with the self-esteem and the thought that I’m able to win.”
(Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Alison Williams)
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