French Open champion Alexander Zverev can seal his first Wimbledon quarter-final appearance when he takes on Jiri Lehecka.
Italian 13th seed Paolini edged out Iga Swiatek’s conqueror Eala with a gritty 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 victory on Centre Court, reaching her first Grand Slam quarter-final since losing the 2024 All England Club final.
Paolini will next face Ukrainian 12th seed Marta Kostyuk, who saw off qualifier Ashlyn Krueger in straight sets.
It marks a return to form for Paolini, who has struggled this year and appeared on the verge of a first-round exit last week when she lost her opening set of the tournament 6-0 to world number 195 Robin Montgomery.
“After the first set in the first round I was like ‘Okay, it can only go better’… point by point, game by game, I was feeling better,” said Paolini, who was also the runner-up at the French Open two years ago.
The 21-year-old Eala enjoyed a history-making tournament, becoming the first player from the Philippines to reach the third and fourth rounds of a major in the Open era.
But she could not extend her fairytale run into the last eight, waving goodbye to the crowd after a tense deciding set. (AFP)
