Alex Eala's dream run at the Wimbledon Championships continued as she dethroned defending champion Iga Swiatek of Poland, 7-6, 6-2, in the Round of 32 at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London on Saturday.

Eala, 21, became the first Filipino singles player to reach the Round of 16 at Wimbledon, surpassing legends Felicisimo Ampon and Raymundo Deyro, who both advanced as far as the third round.

After two hours and 15 minutes of action on Centre Court, Eala could not hold back her emotions following the biggest victory of her career.

“Iga is a phenomenal player and a really nice person, so I'm really grateful to be able to share Centre Court with her at Wimbledon nonetheless,” Eala said.

“I'm really emotional and maybe for someone like Iga, who has won so many Slams, or maybe someone like Serena or Venus, this achievement may seem small. But for someone who grew up in the Philippines, with my brother and my grandfather every day after school, with my ruffled socks, my light-up shoes and chubby cheeks, this is everything.”

It marked the second time Eala defeated the 24-year-old Swiatek following her 6-2, 7-5 victory in the quarterfinals of the Miami Open last year in the United States.

Eala has another chance to make history as she faces world No. 17 Jasmine Paolini of Italy on Monday with the time yet to be announced.