The long wait is finally over as Alex Eala collides with world No. 75 Renata Zarazua in the Round of 128 of the Wimbledon Championships women’s singles event on Tuesday at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London.

Opening serve is set for 8:50 p.m. (Manila time) with the 21-year-old Eala making her second appearance in the world’s most prestigious grass-court tournament looking to cement her status as one of the rising stars of professional tennis.

It will be only the second meeting between Eala and the 28-year-old Zarazua since their quarterfinal clash at the Cary Tennis Classic in the United States in 2024.

But a lot of things have changed for the Filipina sensation.

Aside from breaking through at the Miami Open in 2025, where she beat a string of world-class foes to reach the semifinals in a run that propelled her into the WTA Top 100, she also climbed the rankings, reaching a career-high of No. 29 in the Women’s Tennis Association.

Against the No. 75-ranked Zarazua, the Rafael Nadal Academy alumna is favored to win after entering the third Grand Slam of the year as the No. 29 seed.

Eala said being seeded in a Grand Slam event is such a surreal experience.

“I do not want to downplay how big that means to me. I mean, to be a seed in a Slam — and Wimbledon, in particular, for me — it really touches close to home, so I’m super happy,” said Eala, who made an early exit after losing to Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic last year.

“I don’t know if I should say it, but Wimbledon has always kind of been my favorite Slam. There’s just something about it being played on grass, and the elegance and the tradition surrounding it. I think it’s very unique.”

She added that she is ready and confident to pull off an earthshaking victory.

“I’m playing well. I’m feeling confident. I’ve been putting in the work, that’s for sure,” she said.

“But then again, it’s a Slam. Everyone’s out to get you so I’m ready.”

Even former Canadian-British player and 1997 Wimbledon quarterfinalist Greg Rusedski sees Eala advancing to the Round of 64, where she could set up a mouth-watering clash with 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams.

“I think Serena’s going to get through Maya Joint, and I think Eala’s going to win her opener as well. So that’s going to be Serena and Eala in the second round. And that’s going to be another Centre Court matchup,” Rusedski said.

Eala has been on a roll in her preparation for Wimbledon, winning the Birmingham Classic earlier this month by defeating Nikola Bartunkova of the Czech Republic, who will also be her doubles partner at Wimbledon when they face Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia and Sofia Kenin of the United States on Thursday.

She also stunned world No. 2 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan and No. 8 Elina Svitolina of Ukraine during her semifinal run at the Berlin Tennis Open in Germany two weeks ago.

At the Bad Homburg Open last week, Eala teamed up with seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams, who had nothing but praise for the Filipina despite their Round of 16 exit.