Alex Eala knows the biggest challenge of her young tennis career is waiting, but the Filipino star believes she is ready for it.

Fresh off another breakthrough at the Wimbledon Championships, Eala braces for an enormous test as she faces defending champion Iga Swiatek of Poland in the Round of 32 of the ladies’ singles on Saturday, with the match time yet to be announced.

By defeating world No. 87 Maya Joint of Australia, 3-6, 6-2, 6-0, in the Round of 64, the 21-year-old Eala has already carved out another piece of Philippine tennis history with her run, joining tennis legends Felicisimo Ampon and Raymundo Deyro as the only Filipinos to reach the third round at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London.

The rising star from the world-renowned Rafael Nadal Academy is also the only Filipina to reach the Last 32 of any Grand Slam since the Open Era began in 1968.

But with Eala facing the six-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek for the third time in their careers, she knows their match will not only affect their own campaigns but could also influence the outcome of the tournament.

“I think it’s going to be tough for me. I’m going to try to make it tough for her as well,” Eala said in a press conference.

“You know, it’s a different surface than we’ve played on before, so I think there should be some different aspects compared to the last time.”

It will be the first time Eala and Swiatek face each other on grass, as their previous meetings were played on different surfaces.

Eala stunned Swiatek on the hard courts of the Miami Open quarterfinals last year, a victory that kickstarted her rise as one of the must-watch stars on the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Tour.

Swiatek got her revenge two months later at the Madrid Open, eliminating Eala in the Round of 64 on the clay courts.

Despite the daunting task of facing one of the WTA’s top players, Eala smiled as she welcomed the challenge of taking down another giant.

“I mean, she’s won a Slam on grass, on clay and on hard so I’m expecting a great challenge,” Eala said.

“But I think I’m ready for it. I’m ready to face it head-on.”

Eala has been terrific at Wimbledon so far, opening her campaign with a 6-1, 6-2 sweep of world No. 75 Renata Zarazua of Mexico in the Round of 128 before defeating Joint to book her place in the third round.

Her only blemish at the third Grand Slam of the year came in the women’s doubles, where she and world No. 48 Nikola Bartunkova suffered a 6-3, 3-6, 1-6 loss to world No. 31 Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia and world No. 104 Sofia Kenin of the United States in the Round of 64.

Another victory would send the Filipina deeper into Wimbledon than ever before, but regardless of what awaits against the defending champion, she enters the match believing she belongs.

Against one of the sport’s biggest names, Eala is not simply hoping to compete.

She plans to make Swiatek earn every point.

For Swiatek, she is not letting her guard down.

“I don’t particularly know her game on grass, but I know how she plays because we’ve already played, and she has a tricky game. I can assume that on grass it’s even trickier because of the surface,” Swiatek said.

“So I will prepare, and I’ll be ready, but it would be a good challenge for me. I will need to be ready for different kinds of shots.