Filipina tennis player Alex Eala has made history by securing a seeded spot in a Grand Slam singles draw for the first time by a player from the Philippines.
She enters Wimbledon as the No. 29 seed, with a world ranking of No. 32.
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The 21-year-old arrives at the grass-court major following an impressive stretch that included a 9-3 record this season.
She won her maiden singles title at the Birmingham Open and reached the semifinals of the WTA 500 Berlin Open.
During her Berlin run, Eala defeated top-10 players Elena Rybakina and Elina Svitolina.
Earlier in January, she also beat world No. 7 Coco Gauff and No. 14 Jasmine Paolini in Dubai.
"I'm so honored to be lifting this trophy today," Eala said after her Birmingham victory.
"But lifting this trophy does not mean that I will be among the greats yet. So I'm motivated to keep working."
Eala experienced an early exit at the Bad Homburg Open, which gave her recovery time after partnering with tennis legend Venus Williams during the tournament.
She called the experience a privilege.
"Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that I'd have the privilege of competing alongside you on court, Venus Williams!"
Eala said.
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Being seeded at Wimbledon holds special meaning for Eala. "I do not want to downplay how big that means to me.
