Defending Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejčíková says Alex Eala will be “really good” in the next couple of years

Filipina tennis sensation Alex Eala’s highly anticipated main draw debut at Wimbledon ended in a three-set defeat to defending champion Barbora Krejčíková on Tuesday, July 1. While Eala displayed flashes of brilliance and took the opening set, she ultimately fell short, 3-6, 6-2, 6-1, on the iconic Centre Court.

Despite the loss, Eala has garnered global attention for her meteoric rise in the tennis world, and her recent performances have impressed Krejčíková, who lauded the young Filipina for her talent and grit. The World No. 16 also stated that the 20-year-old will be “really good in a couple of years.”

“I would like to start with giving credit to Alex. I mean, what the hell—she played an amazing first set. She was smashing the ball, cleaning the lines, and all that. So, wow. Wow. It’s the next generation coming. She is going to come up, and she is going to be really good in a couple of years. So, first of all, big credit—big credit to her,” Krejčíková said after the match.

WE’RE ALWAYS ROOTING FOR YOU, ALEX 🇵🇭

Alex Eala reflects on her historic Wimbledon debut, sharing that it required a lot of mental strength as she aims to keep improving on her tennis journey.#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/KUE1VKp8rK

— One Sports (@OneSportsPHL) July 3, 2025

Eala deserves all the praise she is receiving, as she has continued to improve with experience and has become increasingly adept at playing on grass. She recently advanced to her first Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) final at the Lexus Eastbourne International, becoming the first player from the Philippines to do so.

However, her dream of winning a maiden WTA title was dashed after a narrow loss—6-4, 1-6, 7-6—to Australia’s Maya Joint in the final. Nevertheless, Eala continued to make history by achieving a new career milestone, climbing to No. 56 in the latest WTA rankings—an 18-spot jump from her previous ranking of No. 74. This surpasses her former career-high of No. 69, which she reached in May.

The 20-year-old’s Wimbledon journey isn’t over yet, as she is also competing in the women’s doubles event with Germany’s Eva Lys. The pair were scheduled to face Serbia’s Olga Danilovic and Russia’s Anastasia Potapova in the first round on Thursday, July 3. However, the match was cancelled and will be rescheduled to a later date.

OKBET is Asia’s most trusted and popular online sports gaming platform. Visit us on OKBET to stay up to date with all sports news from around the world.