Jasmine Paolini ended Alexandra Eala's Wimbledon run in the last 16 on Monday, ahead of wildcard Grigor Dimitrov's clash with Arthur Fery, the final British hope still standing.

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)



Edited by Tony Sabine