Filipina tennis player Alex Eala met Britain's Princess Catherine, the Princess of Wales, during the 2026 Wimbledon Championships in London on Thursday, July 2, 2026.
Eala shared a photo of the off-court encounter on her Instagram Story, appearing alongside her close friend and fellow competitor, Zeynep Sonmez of Turkey.
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"So honoured to have grabbed a pic with Her Royal Highness!" wrote Eala.
Princess Catherine attended the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in her role as the organization's patron.
She chose to sit in the Court One stands with British tennis player Andy Murray instead of using the Centre Court Royal Box.
The meeting occurred the same day Eala secured her best career Grand Slam result by advancing to the third round.
She staged a comeback victory against Australia's Maya Joint, winning 3-6, 6-2, 6-0 after losing the opening set.
Eala is scheduled to face defending champion and world No. 3 Iga Swiatek on Centre Court on Saturday, July 4, 2026, at 8:30 p.
m. in their third professional meeting.
This Wimbledon run follows Eala's inclusion in the Entertainment & Sports category of the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list in May 2026.
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The publication highlighted her 2025 breakthrough into the WTA Top 50, her historic feat as the first Filipina to defeat two Top 10 players at the Miami Open, and her achievement as the first Filipina to win a Grand Slam singles main-draw match at the U.
S. Open.
"Honored to be part of Forbes 30 under 30. Still processing this one!"
posted Eala.
Prior to her grass-court campaign, Eala competed at the French Open, where she suffered an opening-round loss to close friend Iva Jovic.
"I'm super proud of how far I've come. I'm confident in myself.
I'm confident in how I play even through losses like this. And I think that's very important.
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It's very difficult to achieve every single week, so I take that in my stride," said Eala in an interview with ABS-CBN News.
