Filipina tennis star Alex Eala had the opportunity to meet Kate Middleton, also known as Catherine, Princess of Wales, during the 2026 Wimbledon.
Alex shared a photo with the royal on her Instagram Stories. Also in the photo was Turkish tennis player Zeynep Sönmez.
"So honoured to have grabbed a pic with Her Royal Highness," she wrote.
Kate made a surprise appearance at Wimbledon on July 2.
The Princess of Wales serves as patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, the organization behind the prestigious Grand Slam tournament.
On the same day, Alex advanced to the third round of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships with a dominant comeback win over Australia's Maya Joint. After losing the opening set, Alex rallied to secure a 3-6, 6-2, 6-0 victory.
Alex is now set to take on world No. 3 Iga Swiatek in the third meeting of their careers on July 4.
In May, Alex earned a spot on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list under the Entertainment & Sports category.
According to Forbes, the category recognizes "the next generation of talent—on court and the screen."
Reacting to the recognition, Alex posted at that time: "Honored to be part of Forbes 30 under 30. Still processing this one!"
In its feature, Forbes highlighted the tennis star's impressive accomplishments, including her breakthrough into the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Top 50 rankings in 2025.
The publication also recognized her historic milestones as the first Filipina to defeat two Top 10 players at the Miami Open in March 2025 and the first Filipina to win a Grand Slam singles main-draw match at the U.S. Open in August 2025.
READ: Alex Eala reacts to making Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2026 list
Back in May, Alex competed at the French Open, held at the Roland-Garros Complex in Paris. Although her campaign ended in the opening round, the Filipina tennis star remained optimistic, saying that her defeat to close friend Iva Jovic would serve as motivation to continue improving her game.
“I’m super proud of how far I’ve come. I’m confident in myself. I’m confident in how I play even through losses like this. And I think that’s very important. It’s very difficult to achieve every single week, so I take that in my stride," she said in an interview with ABS-CBN News.