'Positivity is my superpower' - Paolini holds off Eala to reach last eight

Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Paolini reached the final of the French Open and Wimbledon in 2024 By Emily Salley BBC Sport journalist at Wimbledon Published 6 minutes ago Jasmine Paolini secured a gritty win over Alexandra Eala to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals and end the Filipina's historic run. Eala became the first player from the Philippines to reach the fourth round of a major in the Open era when she beat defending champion Iga Swiatek on Saturday. Despite fighting hard to force a deciding set, the 21-year-old was unable to continue her dream run as she fell to a 6-4 4-6 6-3 defeat by the resilient Italian. It is the first time Paolini has reached the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam since she reached back-to-back finals at the French Open and Wimbledon in 2024. Her bubbly personality and energy on court saw her become a crowd favourite at the All England Club two years ago, when she finished runner-up to Barbora Krejcikova. And 14th seed Paolini, who has struggled with a foot injury this year, celebrated with a beaming smile before saying her positivity was her "superpower". "It was really tough, a rollercoaster. 2026 proved a lot to me," the 30-year-old said. "There were tough moments but I kept working. Every day I'm feeling better, I feel in the right way when I compete on court again. "I love what I do but I have to enjoy it - it's my superpower." Related topics Tennis More on this story Live scores, results and order of play Get tennis news sent straight to your phone Published 8 June