Venus Williams is cheering for Alexandra Eala, who recently made history by beating Australia’s Maya Joint 3-6, 6-2, 6-0 in the second round of Wimbledon. Eala became the first player from the Philippines to reach the third round of a Grand Slam singles tournament in the Open Era. She also became the first Filipino to reach the Round of 32 at Wimbledon.
Williams partnered with Eala at the Bad Homburg Open, where they reached the quarterfinals. The pair has since developed a close bond.
On Thursday, after Eala created history in the second round of Wimbledon, Williams celebrated the achievement on social media. She reposted a video or Eala from Wimbledon’s official Instagram channel and added the following congratulatory message:
“Congrats to my other doubles partner @alex.eala for making history.”
Williams’ husband, Andrea Preti, also shared a photo of his TV screen, watching Eala’s match. He wrote the following supportive message:
“All for you Alex Eala.”
The 21-year-old Eala started slow against Joint, who reached the second round after defeating 23-time Grand Slam champion and Venus’ sister Serena Williams in the first round. Eala dominated Joint in the final two sets, winning 12 of the last 14 games. She will now face defending Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek in the third round.
Williams’ praise for Eala reflects the strong partnership they enjoyed at the Bad Homburg Open. After the pair lost to Olivia Nicholls and Tereza Mihalikova, 6-3, 6-2, in the quarterfinals, Eala sang praises of Williams, who also called the Filipino “the best ride, the best tournament, the best partner.”
Venus Williams’ Doubles Match Status After Serena Williams’ Injury
The Williams sisters are returning together at the All England Club as doubles partners. The pair have won 14 Grand Slam women’s doubles titles together, including six at Wimbledon. However, their participation remains uncertain with Serena Williams’ latest knee concern.
Serena tweaked her knee in the first set against Maya Joint before losing the match in three sets. She is day-to-day currently and is uncertain whether she would be able to pair up with her sister for her doubles match that was initially scheduled in Thursday’s order of play.
Meanwhile, Venus Williams remains optimistic that she and her sister will still be able to compete together in the Wimbledon women’s doubles draw.
Given Serena’s injury, Wimbledon organizers have removed their first-round doubles match from Thursday’s slate, giving the 23-time Grand Slam champion additional time to recover. No replacement date has been announced by the organizers so far.
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