Philippines' Alexandra Eala serves to Mexico's Renata Zarazua during their women's singles first round tennis match on the second day of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on June 30, 2026. Kirill Kudryavtsev, AFP
The tennis world is looking forward to an exciting battle between Alex Eala and Maya Joint on Thursday on Court 3 at Wimbledon in a second-round matchup.
The last time they met was in June 2025 in the Eastbourne final, where Joint saved four match points and won the third-set tiebreak 12-10.
A year later, situations for both players have evolved.
Eala has jumped into the Top 30 in the world. Joint, meanwhile, has battled injuries that have prevented her from getting the results she wanted in 2026.
But she pulled off a huge first-round win, defeating 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams in three sets on Centre Court at Wimbledon. Joint even had a match point in the second set but couldn’t convert. She regrouped and won the third set 6-3 for her biggest victory of the season.
This time around, both Eala and Joint said they anticipate a high-intensity match.
READ: Tennis: Alex Eala powers past Zarazua, advances to second round of Wimbledon
The Filipinos came out in full force for Eala in her first-round win over Renata Zarazúa and are expected to do the same on Court 3 on Thursday.
“We have something to look forward to. There’s going to be so much atmosphere with Eala playing and all the Filipino fans,” said nine-time Wimbledon champion Martina Navratilova on Tennis Channel’s broadcast.
During the same Eala-Joint discussion, host Prakash Amritraj shared his thoughts on Eala’s grass-court game.
“It’s a great surface for Alex Eala. She stays low to the ground, and it helps her serve tremendously, something that hurts her on other surfaces. She looks confident. She looks very good so far,” he said.
READ: Alex Eala to face Maya Joint in Wimbledon second round
Navratilova also commended Joint for overcoming the electric Centre Court atmosphere that was heavily behind Williams.
“Tip of the hat to Maya Joint for handling the situation with Serena. Considering where she has been this year, to walk behind Serena Williams onto Centre Court and still be able to play her best tennis — that was impressive,” said Navratilova.
Eala’s coach, Joan Bosch, believes the Filipina is playing a much-improved grass-court game, as shown by her Birmingham 125 title and upset wins over Elena Rybakina, Elina Svitolina, and Donna Vekić in Berlin, followed by her first-round Wimbledon victory over Zarazúa.
“What I liked most and what was most important in the last match (against Zarazúa) was that she was very aggressive. She came to the net a lot, and on these courts I believe it’s better to play this way. It suits Alex’s style. I also liked that she was serving pretty well,” said Bosch.
Team Eala is, of course, aiming for another win.
Well-known tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg believes it will be a great match and gives Eala the edge.
“I think it should be great. Eala’s level has been very high, so I give her the advantage. I would expect Joint to be mentally and emotionally exhausted after that incredible match against Serena. I think Eala should have the edge this week,” he said.
After singles, Eala returns to the court for doubles with Nicola Bartůňková against Sofia Kenin and Jelena Ostapenko on Court 6.