Everything Alex Eala said in her press conference after Wimbledon loss to Jasmine Paolini

Ewan West 06 Jul 2026 7:05 PM

Alex Eala looks on during her match

Alex Eala said there are “so many positives” to take from her 2026 Wimbledon campaign after her fourth round defeat to Jasmine Paolini.

The 21-year-old Filipina, who was the 29th seed at Wimbledon, fell 4-6, 6-4, 3-6 to No 13 seed Paolini in a close battle on Centre Court.

In the third round, Eala delivered a sensational display to dethrone Iga Swiatek, the 2025 Wimbledon champion and third seed, in straight sets.

That win, which was the biggest of Eala’s career to date, came after she downed Maya Joint in the second round and Renata Zarazua in the first round.

Here is everything Eala said in her press conference after her exit from Wimbledon.

Q. Appreciate not the result you wanted this afternoon, but if you could give us your thoughts on the experience out there today.

EALA: Yeah, it was a really challenging match today. I think Jasmine played great. I gave everything that I could. I did everything that I could do
today, so I’m proud of that. I have to be proud of what I’ve achieved this week. Leaving with positive thoughts, yeah.

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Q. It’s your first fourth round at a Grand Slam. What are the positives you can take from the journey?

EALA: There are so many positives. Well, one I think is how I’ve handled pressure. I mean, there’s pressure every week, right? Of course, the more you want to win, I think the more kind of like pressure goes along with that. I’m happy with how I faced it head on. I think I kept cool when I needed to control my emotions. Overall, performed the best that I could on the day.

Q. How enthused are you by how comfortable you seem to be on the absolute biggest stage here? Does that give you more confidence looking ahead to the US Open and beyond?

EALA: Yeah, I think this week in general will add to my confidence. I mean, if this week doesn’t… It’s been one of my best results, right? Of course, it will add confidence. I think it’s important that every match I played this week, and every match that I play, I go in with the self-esteem and the thought that I’m able to win. I don’t think that necessarily because of one week or the other that that will change, yeah.

Q. You played very well against Swiatek. How do you think you played today? If you have to give an explanation about your defeat, what is the reason? Was she doing something that you didn’t expect? Something that you would have liked to do differently?

EALA: Yes, of course there are things that I would have liked to do differently. But in the end, I think that’s just tennis. That’s also what’s beautiful about tennis, is that every match, it’s different in a sense. You’re always finding solutions, the opponent is always finding ways to make you uncomfortable. I think Jasmine did that pretty well today. She really went for her shots. She definitely made me feel uncomfortable in certain moments of the match. Yeah, I think my serve was not as good today as maybe other matches. But I have days like that. Everyone has days where they don’t play their best tennis. I understand that’s part of the job. I don’t think I’m going to be playing the best tennis of my life every single day. I don’t expect that. With that being said, I’m really proud of how I handled things. I think I just have to kind of move forward and continue with my progress.

Q. The level is getting close at the top. It depends on many little things. What aspect do you think that now you’re reaching this top is the most difficult to manage?

EALA: Yeah, like you said, it comes down to details. It’s very fine, it’s very fine details. With tennis and matches that are tight, it sometimes can depend on one point or two. I think it’s how you manage yourself during those moments. Looking back, for example, I have one point, and did I stick with my game, did I stick with the game plan, did I do everything I could at that moment? I think that’s all you can really do is do your best, right? There are so many external factors that you cannot control. You cannot control how she plays. You cannot control if there’s wind. You cannot control if it’s super hot or it’s super cold. The only thing I can control is how I approach those situations. If I’m able to approach them with bravery, with a steady mind and with intensity, then I’m able to look back and feel no regret, yeah.

Q. There were a lot of emotions going on two days ago with this victory against Swiatek. Was it part of the preparation of the match to get the emotion a little bit down? How did you manage the last 48 hours?

EALA: Yes, I did have to manage the emotions. I think that’s also the beauty of kind of like letting all the emotions out after, when you feel them, is that you’re able to have that moment. It’s also part of professionalism. This is not the first time I’ve had a huge win, and then I’ve had to play, like, two days after. So I think I prepared pretty well for this match. There are so many different factors to today that contributed to the result of why it happened. I think on that aspect, I did pretty well. Yesterday I was really focused on my preparation for today. Now that I guess I’m out of the tournament, after processing the loss, then maybe I will feel those emotions again.

Q. I notice you had some tape on your left forearm. Was there something you felt in the last two days?

EALA: Yeah, the tapes are more preventive than anything. It’s been a long season. I’m just trying to make sure that the health is in check.

Q. Court conditions. It was hotter today. Did you feel the grass played differently? Any difference Any difference over the two matches?

EALA: No, I did not. Yeah, I didn’t.