Listening to Alexandra Eala emotionally address Centre Court after defeating Wimbledon’s defending champion Iga Swiatek, it dawned on you that this 21-year-old phenomenon from the Philippines was speaking both to and for an entire country at that very moment.‘Maybe for someone like Iga, who’s won so many Slams, or someone like Serena or Venus, this achievement may seem small, but for someone who grew up in the Philippines…’It was here that Eala had to pause, the tears taking over amid the realisation of her achievement and how many millions must have stayed up late to watch her back home in Manila and beyond.She was already the first player from the Philippines to reach the third round of a Grand Slam – male or female – and now she is into the fourth. Composing herself, Eala continued: ‘…who went to train with my brother and my grandfather every day after school, with my ruffled socks and light-up shoes and chubby cheeks. To her, this is everything. Being here is a blessing. It is incredible to have my countrymen cheering me on. We are all in this together. This goes out to them, to my family, to all the little girls with ruffled socks and chubby cheeks. It means the world.’Yet equally as impressive was how Eala then suddenly switched amid her address, forgetting the sentimentality of her 7-6, 6-2 victory over Swiatek and focusing on her next showdown with Jasmine Paolini, the Italian ranked 17th in the world. ‘Because I’m emotional does not mean I’m satisfied,’ Eala added. ‘So, OK, next round, let’s go. If I have the chance, I’m taking it.’You did not have to search hard to find this Filipina’s fans at Wimbledon. They had their flags in hand as they walked the All England Club, were chanting ‘Alex, Alex, Alex’, and telling those who would listen about their thriller from Manila: ‘She’s going to be our champion.’ Defending women’s champion Iga Swiatek was knocked out of Wimbledon in straight seta Her vanquisher Alexandra Eala made history as the first player from the Philippines to reach the second week of the tournamentEala is already a superstar in the Philippines, where watch parties are arranged to follow her matches from afar, ever since she became the first Filipina to break into the world’s top 50 last year.That came after a breakout Miami Open at which she was the wildcard who beat three Grand Slam champions – Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys and Swiatek, each in straight-sets – en route to the semi-finals. She is currently ranked 32nd, and has more than a million Instagram followers.That appreciation from back home is now beginning to spread through the wider tennis world. Certainly those on Centre Court sensed while watching her dispatch of Swiatek over their two hours and 14 minutes together that this was a star being born.It helps that Eala is likeable as a person before we even begin to consider her talents, which were honed at the Rafa Nadal Academy. At the point of confirming victory, she collapsed in a heap, before hopping up as if embarrassed that she was making Swiatek wait.This was tough for the 25-year-old from Poland, a loss which only compounded her challenging year. ‘S*** happens,’ Swiatek said afterwards. ‘Honestly, I don’t care anymore about the results. I’ve been so focused on them that it’s hard to continue like that. So I’m really trying to let it go.’While one star seems to fading, another is shining in Eala, who has a phrase written in her native Tagalog on her old-school Nike visor which reads when translated into English: ‘Once it grows, it cannot be stopped.’ It is over to Paolini next to try to stop Eala from adding to her already historic Grand Slam run.Swiatek’s opponent in the 2026 final Amanda Anisimova was another Centre Court victim upon her first return to the court after failing to win a game last year. It was a closer contest against her compatriot Madison Keys, who needed a 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 scoreline to overturn the No 6 seed, but the outcome was the same – and Anisimova will have to wait another year to exorcise her demons on Wimbledon’s greatest stage.But arguably the biggest upset of the tournament came on No 1 Court, where world No 2 and 2022 champion Elena Rybakina was despatched in straight sets by doubles specialist Elise Mertens 7-6(5), 6-1. Having beaten Aryna Sabalenka to claim this year’s Australian Open, the Kazkh now records her another disappointing Grand Slam exit after faltering at the second round in Paris.