By ADRIAN STEWART CO

Negrense Alex Eala pulled off the biggest victory of her career after upsetting World’s No. 3 Iga Świątek, 7-6 (9), 6-2, to advance to the fourth round of Wimbledon in London on Saturday, July 4 (Philippine time).

The 21-year-old Filipina displayed composure and resilience throughout the one-hour, 49-minute contest, surviving a tightly contested opening set before dominating the second to eliminate the five-time Grand Slam champion.

Eala overcame a fierce challenge in the opening set, edging Świątek in a dramatic tiebreak, 11-9, before taking full control in the second set as the Polish star struggled to recover.

The World’s No. 29 capitalized on Świątek’s errors, particularly on serve.

Eala finished with four aces and did not commit a double fault, while Świątek was hampered by five double faults.

Eala also proved more efficient on crucial points, converting five of her seven break-point opportunities compared to Świątek’s three conversions in 11 chances.

The Filipina won 54 percent of points on her second serve, significantly better than Świątek’s 41 percent, and finished the match with 92 total points won against 78 of the former World’s No. 1.

“This is one of the biggest matches of my life, for sure, and this is my dream court. So I’m really happy with the atmosphere that you guys gave. Thank you so much for cheering me on,” Eala said during her on-court interview.

“Obviously, because I’m emotional does not mean I’m satisfied. [For] next round, let’s go,” she added.

With the victory, Eala dethroned one of the tournament favorites and booked her place in the Round of 16, continuing her historic Wimbledon campaign and becoming one of the biggest stories of this year’s Championships.

Eala will look to extend her dream run when she faces 13th seed Jasmine Paolini of Italy in the Round of 16, with a quarterfinal berth at stake./ASC, WDJ