In the opening stages of the match, Australia's Joint took an early lead, looking as sharp as she did during her win against Serena Williams a couple of days back. <\/p>\r\n\r\n
But Eala clawed her way back, buoyed by vocal support from fans bearing the Filipino flag. In the deciding set, Eala, 21, scored a crucial early break and powered through to a 3-6, 6-2, 6-0 win in just under two hours.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
This win, which means Eala is the first Filipino player to reach the third round at The Championships, was long-awaited revenge after she lost an excruciatingly close battle to Joint in the Eastbourne final last year, which ended 12-10 in the deciding set tie-break.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Earlier, Marie Bouzkova and Emma Navarro, who met in the final of the Nottingham Open two weeks ago, advanced to the Ladies' Singles third round with contrasting victories. <\/p>\r\n\r\n
The No. 21 seed Bouzkova recovered from an early break in the opening set to defeat Grant 7-5, 6-3, reaching the third round at Wimbledon for the third time. Her best Grand Slam result came at the All England Club in 2022, when she reached the quarterfinals.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Bouzkova will next face Liudmila Samsonova, last year's Wimbledon quarterfinalist, who upset No. 15 seed Diana Shnaider 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 to reach the third round. Samsonova holds a 3-2 edge in the head-to-head series on the WTA Tour, Driven by Mercedes-Benz, although Bouzkova won their only previous meeting on grass.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The No. 21 seed Bouzkova recovered from an early break in the opening set to defeat Grant 7-5, 6-3, reaching the third round at Wimbledon for the third time. Her best Grand Slam result came at the All England Club in 2022, when she reached the quarterfinals.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
She has now won 14 of her past 18 tour-level matches and will next face either No. 12 seed Marta Kostyuk or Anna Blinkova.<\/p>\r\n\r\n