Alex Eala on collision course with tennis great Serena Williams in Wimbledon

MANILA, Philippines – A clash with arguably the greatest female tennis player of all time looms for Alex Eala.

That is if Eala and 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams take care of business in the opening round of the Wimbledon Championships on Tuesday, June 30, after they were drawn in the same bracket of the 128-player field. 

Seeded in a major for the first time in her career at No. 29, 21-year-old Eala stands as the favorite against Mexico’s Renata Zarazua.

Eala lost to the 28-year-old Zarazua in their first-ever WTA Tour encounter, dropping a three-set defeat in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Cary Tennis Classic in the United States, but the Filipina has made huge strides since as she cracked the world top 30 twice in 2026.

Also, Eala owns a 9-3 record on grass this year, having won the Birmingham Open in Great Britain and reaching the semifinals of the Berlin Open in Germany.

Ranked No. 75 in the world, Zarazua has not made it past the round of 32 in any of the grass tournaments she took part in this year.

Meanwhile, 44-year-old Williams battles Australia’s Maya Joint as she returns to action nearly four years after retiring from the sport in 2022, with Wimbledon giving the American icon a wild card. 

Although Williams was away from competitive tennis for a significant time, she remains a threat, having won seven of her Grand Slam titles in Wimbledon, the last coming in 2016.

Williams owns the most major championships in the Open era and ranks second of all time, one behind 24-time Grand Slam winner Margaret Court of Australia.

Facing the former world No. 1 will mark another milestone for Eala, who teamed up with Williams’ older sister — seven-time major champion Venus — in the doubles competition of the Bad Homburg Open in Germany just a week ago. – Rappler.com