Barbora Krejcikova will open her Wimbledon title defense against Alex Eala. The Wimbledon 2025 odds don’t expect the Czech Republic international to make another deep run in the competition because of her poor recent form, so she’ll likely use this as motivation to prove her skeptics wrong.
Speaking of Eala, the 20-year-old has become one of the fastest rising stars in the WTA, and she is in form heading into Wimbledon. The Filipina is through to the Lexus Eastbourne Open final – the perfect warmup event for the Grand Slam – where she’ll face Maya Joint for the coveted WTA 250 trophy.
On the other hand, Aryna Sabalenka is the one to watch at Wimbledon because she is on a mission. The world No. 1 aims to break her Grand Slam duck here.
Without further ado, here are some of the notable Wimbledon 2025 updates, courtesy of SBOTOP.
Krejcikova’s fitness is a major concern
First things first, Barbora Krejcikova is fighting against time to be 100 percent fit. Otherwise, we’ll see a different Wimbledon champion for the eighth consecutive year. The world No. 17 is an injury doubt ahead of the Grand Slam event due to a seemingly serious thigh issue. She has also missed the first five months of the season due to a nagging back injury.
Krejcikova withdrew from the Lexus Eastbourne Open last Thursday, giving Varvara Gracheva a walkover victory in the quarterfinals at Devonshire Park. She initially felt pain on Wednesday during her second-round win over Jodie Burrage. Krejcikova went through some scans ahead of her Wimbledon opener on Tuesday.
“I’m very sorry to have to withdraw from my quarterfinal today in Eastbourne as I’m having some soreness in my right thigh,” Krejcikova said in a statement. “I’ve truly enjoyed my time down here the past week and loved being back on the grass. I wish the tournament team the best for the final few days, and I look forward to returning to see all the wonderful fans here next year.”
The 29-year-old had battled through two grueling three-setters against Burrage and Harriet Dart, which lasted at least 2 hours and 26 minutes each, as she saved two match points against the latter and three more against the former. She also teamed up with Jelena Ostapenko in women’s doubles, where they won against Quinn Gleason and Oksana Kalashnikova in the Round of 16 before bowing out of the competition altogether.
Eala building momentum in Eastbourne
Alex Eala would be the prime beneficiary if Barbora Krejcikova ultimately withdraws from Wimbledon. Such development will let her advance to the second round via a walkover, marking a historic milestone for the Philippines. She just became the first Filipina to appear in a WTA Final after beating Varvara Gracheva in an exciting three-setter yesterday, helping her rise to No. 56 in the live rankings. Cecil Mamiit was the only Filipino to make the singles finals of the pro tour back in the 1999 Sybase Open in California, losing to then world No. 9 Mark Philippoussis. However, Mamiit represented the United States at the time.
After coming through qualifying to make the main draw on the south coast, Eala has defeated Lucia Bronzetti, Jelena Ostapenko (via walkover), Dayana Yastremska, and Gracheva. Earlier this year, Eala burst onto the scene with three shock victories over Ostapenko, Madison Keys, and Iga Swiatek before succumbing to Jessica Pegula in the Miami Open semifinals.
Following a dip in form after her Cinderella run in South Beach, Eala has reached at least the Round of 32 in her three previous singles tournaments in Birmingham, Ilkley, and Nottingham before the Lexus Eastbourne Open.
Sabalenka still seeking first Grand Slam
Aryna Sabalenka missed out on what would’ve been her first Grand Slam triumph of the season after a crushing three-set defeat against Coco Gauff in the French Open earlier this month. After that, she lost to Marketa Vondrousova in the Grass Court Championships Berlin semifinals.
Sabalenka has never advanced past the Wimbledon semifinals, though she boasts an impressive 11-5 record. She made the semifinals the last two times she played in 2021 and 2023, but didn’t play in 2022 or 2024.
She will open her campaign against fast-rising qualifier Carson Branstine, and Sabalenka is in line for a potential collision course against Vondrousova, McCartney Kessler, or Emma Raducanu in the third round and Madison Keys in the quarterfinals.
The world No. 1 must tread carefully against Branstine, as the Canadian international is oozing with confidence. Earlier this week, Branstine dispatched Lois Boisson, Bianca Andreescu, and Raluca Georgiana Serban in the qualifying rounds.
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