Alex Eala seeks redemption against Maya Joint in Wimbledon second round

A year after their first meeting, Alex Eala and Maya Joint are set for another collision, only this time with far greater stakes as they square off on the grass courts of the 2026 Wimbledon.

Eala drew Australia's Joint in the second round after a dominant showing against Mexico's Renata Zarazua, whom the Filipina star beat 6-1, 6-2 on early Wednesday to kick off her campaign in this year's third Grand Slam event.

Joint, meanwhile, had to dig deep in the opening round after eking out a 6-3, 6(6)-7(8), 6-3 victory over tennis legend and 23-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams, who was marking her first singles match in nearly four years.

This is not the first time that Joint and Eala will face off in a grass court.

The two crossed paths last year when they met in the 2025 Eastbourne Open finals, where Eala became the first Filipino to ever reach a WTA championship round. However, the Filipina ace fell short to complete the title run after Joint pulled off a 4-6, 6-1, 6(10)-7(12) victory.

But so much has happened since that encounter.

Months later, Eala won her breakthrough WTA 125 title after defeating Hungary’s Panna Udvardy 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 in the Guadalajara Open finals in September. In March, she also reached a career-high WTA ranking of No. 29 before capturing her second title at the WTA 125 Birmingham Open last month.

Also in June, Eala had a stellar run at the Berlin Tennis Open, where she stunned a pair of Top 10 players, Elena Rybakina and Elina Svitolina, before losing in the semifinals.

Joint, on the other hand, peaked at No. 28 last February but had a significant drop to No. 87 following a back injury that sidelined her for more than six weeks.

Whoever wins between Eala and Joint will face either world No. 3 Iga Swiatek or Karolina Pliskova in the Round of 32.

—JKC, GMA News