Rising star Alexandra Eala credited boxer Manny Pacquiao as a lifelong inspiration after delivering the knockout blow to reigning Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek.
Eala blew open the women’s draw by dethroning Swiatek with a 7-6, (11-9), 6-2 Centre Court win on a day when world number two Elena Rybakina and 2025 runner-up Amanda Anisimova also crashed out.
The 21-year-old became the first player from the Philippines – where Pacquiao is a national hero – to reach the fourth round of a grand slam.
“I guess he is the first global athletic figure from the Philippines who I can remember and associate a lot of my childhood memories with,” Eala said of the former eight-division world champion.
“When he would have fights, it would really be like holidays in the Philippines. We would gather and we would watch his fights. People would go off work. It would really be an event.
“I think he is someone super inspiring as an athlete.
“I feel like the Filipinos have such great work ethic. We are really hard workers. And when it counts, we can show up.”
Eala arrived for the blockbuster clash holding a 1-1 head-to-head record against Swiatek and having already claimed six career wins over top-10 opponents, including victory over Rybakina on grass in Berlin last month.
She overcame an early break of serve to convert her third set point in a tense tie-break after six-time major winner Swiatek blew two similar opportunities.
Following an eruption of noise from the stands, the world number 32 departed the court to compose herself and returned fired up as she won four games in a row to pave the way for a landmark triumph.
Eala, who suffered a first-round loss to 2024 champion Barbora Krejcikova on Centre Court a year ago, collapsed to the grass after converting match point with a fine forehand winner and will face 2024 finalist Jasmine Paolini next.
“I don’t know how to describe this feeling – I’m into the second week of a grand slam and it is amazing for me,” she said during her on-court interview.
Swiatek made 44 unforced errors and struggled to deal with her opponent’s slow serves.
Eala’s average serve speed for the match was around 82 miles per hour, while Swiatek’s was approximately 98mph.
“It’s much tougher to return a serve like that than a normal serve,” said the Polish third seed.
“I know it was slow. I know exactly how it’s going to come to me. It’s such a different rhythm than what I usually have a chance to return.
“I felt like she was serving slower and slower, and it became tougher and tougher for me to return these serves. That, for me, was hard to accept.”
Swiatek added: “I felt like Alexandra was more brave in important moments. In the tie-break we both had many chances to close the set earlier, and it didn’t go my way.”
Madison Keys produced fourth of July fireworks by battling back to eliminate fellow American Anisimova with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 win, while the 2022 champion Rybakina lost 7-6 (7-4), 6-1 to Elise Mertens.
Ninth seed Linda Noskova is the highest ranked player left in the bottom half of the draw and awaits Keys following her three-set success over Sorana Cirstea.
Italian 13th seed Paolini eased past Maria Sakkari 6-1, 6-2. American Ashlyn Krueger and Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine also progressed on Saturday.
