A blast from the past will be the theme of Alex Eala’s next Wimbledon match as she is set to face a familiar opponent in Maya Joint in the second round of the tournament.
Previously, the pride of the Philippines emerged victorious against Mexico’s Renata Zarazúa, whom she had once partnered with in the doubles event at the 2025 Roland Garros.
A Rematch of the 2025 Lexus Eastbourne Finals
The upcoming clash between Eala and Joint will serve as a rematch of the 2025 Lexus Eastbourne Open finals, where the Australian teenager eventually captured the title after a grueling three-set battle.
Another reason the match became so memorable was that it marked the first-ever WTA final appearance of Eala’s professional career.
This season, the 20-year-old Australian limited her grass-court appearances due to a lower-back injury sustained at Indian Wells earlier in the year. After being sidelined for the entire month of April, Joint returned to compete in multiple hard-court WTA events before shifting her focus to the grass season.
The world No. 53 played only three singles matches on grass, compiling a 1–2 record. She suffered opening-round exits at both the Nottingham Open and Eastbourne Open, failing to defend her 2025 Eastbourne title.
However, at Wimbledon, Joint managed to advance to the second round after winning a hard-fought three-set match against tennis legend Serena Williams, 6–3, 7(8)–6(6), 6–3.
Last year, much like her upcoming opponent, Joint made her debut at the Wimbledon Championships but failed to advance after losing to Liudmila Samsonova in the opening round.
A Different Alex Eala
What Maya Joint will be facing is far from the player she defeated last year.
Eala, who just had the best grass-court performance of her young professional career, owns a win-loss record of 10–3. This includes the Lexus Birmingham Open championship she won last June.
As both Alex Eala and Maya Joint reached the second round of Wimbledon for the first time in their careers, it will be interesting to see which one hungers more for success as they aim to go deeper into the tournament.
Alex Eala Next Matches
Singles (Second Round)
- Alex Eala vs. Maya Joint
- Tournament: Wimbledon
- Date: Thursday, 2 July (Time to be determined.)
Doubles (First Round)
- Alex Eala/Nikola Bartunkova vs. Jelena Ostapenko/Sofia Kenin
- Tournament: Wimbledon
- Date: Thursday, 2 July (Time to be determined.)
