Philippines' Alexandra Eala reacts as she plays against Czech Republic's Barbora Krejcikova during their women's singles first round tennis match on the second day of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 1, 2025. Glyn Kirk, AFP
LONDON -- Filipina tennis star Alex Eala is grateful for an "amazing" debut at Wimbledon, even after a painful three-set defeat against defending champion Barbora Krejčíková in the first round on Tuesday.
The 20-year-old rising star fought her heart out at Centre Court and took the opening set, but ran out of steam against Krejčíková who made all the right adjustments in coming away as the victor, 3-6, 6-2, 6-1.
Despite the result, Eala had nothing but gratitude in her heart and praise for her opponent, who had overcome her own battles with fitness to make it back to the All England Club.
"It was amazing just to be there and walk onto the court," said Eala, a few minutes after the conclusion of her match. "I'm super happy to have had that as my Wimbledon debut."
READ: Gallant stand not enough as Eala falls to Krejčíková in first round of Wimbledon
"In the first set, I felt I was able to dominate in certain moments. But in the end, it came down to just one break," she added. "In the next two sets, Barbora really stepped up. She was hitting so close to the lines, and she did it consistently. Maybe I wasn't able to make her uncomfortable enough—but also, she's just that skillful. So credit is due—give credit where credit is due."
Though still unable to secure her first win in the main draw of a Grand Slam, Eala believes she has shown improvement -- while also acknowledging that she has a long way to go.
"There are definitely areas of my game I need to work on. With time, once the emotions calm down, I'll sit down with my coach to review the match. He probably already knows what we need to improve, and we'll move forward from there," she said.
Even in the second and third sets, where the scores were less flattering, Eala felt she had her chances.
"I think I had my opportunities, especially at the start and end of those sets. But Barbora showed her composure and rose to the occasion during the big moments—and that's why she pulled through."
The young Filipina was also touched by Krejcikova's kind words after the match. "I really appreciated what she said. That was a very nice gesture. This was my dream match—my dream debut: Centre Court, main draw, against the defending champion. It was such a pleasure to share the court with her."
Eala also expressed gratitude to the many Filipino supporters in the stands, many of whom camped out overnight to secure Centre Court tickets.
"To all the Filipinos watching here and back home—thank you so much for your support," she said in both English and Filipino. "It means so much to me that I was able to play on Centre Court and fight hard against the defending champion. I'm still happy, even though I lost. Tuloy ang laban."
Her coach, Joan Bosch, echoed her sentiments.
"Thanks for the support," Bosch said. "Alex played a very good match. The opponent served well and hit great winners—we couldn't quite do it today. But we're happy to have this big experience. It's a great foundation for next year. We keep learning and working harder."
Eala will take a rest day on Wednesday before returning to action for the doubles event. She will team up with Germany's Eva Lys on Thursday, where they will be up against Olga Danilovic and Anastasia Potapova.
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