By ADRIAN STEWART CO

Alex Eala opened her 2026 Wimbledon campaign with a 6-1, 6-2 sweep over Mexico’s Renata Zarazua in the opening round at the All England Club yesterday (Philippine time).

The 21-year-old Negrense needed little time to establish control, producing an impressive display to secure her first career main-draw victory at Wimbledon and advance to the second round.

The result also marked Eala’s second main-draw win in a Grand Slam tournament after earning her breakthrough victory at last year’s US Open.

Competing as the tournament’s No. 29 seed, Eala will next battle Australia’s Maya Joint, who scored a 6-3, 6-7, 6-3 victory against former World’s No. 1 Serena Williams in their opening-round encounter.

Making her debut as a seeded player in a Grand Slam, Eala dictated play from the outset.

She raced to a 3-1 advantage in the opening set before fending off Zarazua’s attempts to stay within striking distance.

Competing as the tournament’s 29th seed, Eala dictated play from the outset.

She raced to a 3-1 advantage in the opening set before fending off Zarazua’s attempts to stay within striking distance.

The Filipina stretched her lead to 5-1 and overcame a brief challenge in the next game.

After trailing 40-30 on Zarazua’s serve, Eala captured three consecutive points, finishing the set with a forehand winner to claim it, 6-1.

Eala maintained her momentum in the second set, once again building a commanding 5-1 cushion.

Zarazua delayed the inevitable by taking the next game, but the Mexican’s comeback hopes quickly faded after committing consecutive unforced errors that handed Eala two match points.

Eala closed out the contest in style with another forehand winner, completing the victory in just two sets.

The win represented a significant improvement from her Wimbledon debut last year, when she was eliminated in the opening round by eventual defending champion Barbora Krejcikova./ASC, WDJ