Eala faces Czech defending champion in Wimbledon first round

Alex Eala faces an uphill climb in the first round of the Wimbledon Championships. (File Photo)

Alex Eala will be put to test early in the 2025 Wimbledon Championships after being drawn with defending champion Barbora Krejcikova in the opening round slated next week.

This would be the second time that Eala is playing directly in the main draw round, owing to her singles ranking of No. 74 prior to the Grand Slam draw. She is currently at a career-high No. 56 in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) live rankings after booking a finals berth against Maya Joint at the Lexus Eastbourne Open on Friday, June 27.

Eala will be meeting Krejcikova for the first time in any WTA event, with both players bracketed in the lower half that has seventh seed Mira Andreeva, 10th pick Emma Navarro, third seed Jessica Pegula, five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek and second pick Coco Gauff.

If successful against Krejcikova, the 20-year-old Filipina tennis sensation would face the winner between American Caroline Colehide and Dutch Arantxa Rus.

One match at a time, tough.

Eala expects an uphill climb in overcoming Krejcikova. The 29-year-old Czech also boasts of winning the 2021 French Open and is a multiple Grand Slam women’s doubles and mixed doubles champion.

She is also a former world No. 1 player in the women’s doubles.

At last year’s Wimbledon, she outlasted Jasmine Paolini in three sets.

Krejcikova is also ranked No. 17 and went as high as No. 2 in February 2022, having won eight singles career titles, 19 doubles and three mixed doubles titles on the WT Tour.

Interestingly, Krejcikova withdrew from her quarterfinals match against Varvara Gracheva in the Eastbourne Open due to a right thigh injury. Gracheva eventually lost to Eala in their semis affair.

Eala, meanwhile, is on her second main draw appearance at the Grand Slam. She lost her opening-round match at the 2025 French Open last May to Colombian Emiliana Arango.

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