LONDON, July 5 (Reuters) - Wimbledon's fourth round continues on Monday, with Alexandra Eala looking to extend her fairytale run by taking on two-times Grand Slam finalist Jasmine Paolini, while Taylor Fritz faces Alexander Bublik.
TOP WOMEN'S MATCH: ALEXANDRA EALA V JASMINE PAOLINI
Eala, who was already enjoying something of a breakout season with wins over Elena Rybakina and Coco Gauff, was thrust into the spotlight on Saturday when she sent defending champion Iga Swiatek crashing out of Wimbledon.
The 21-year-old Filipina now has 2024 Wimbledon finalist Paolini in the crosshairs, but she is taking nothing for granted despite having already beaten the Italian in straight sets in Dubai earlier this year.
"She is a great fighter. It was not an easy match in Dubai for me. It will not be an easy match here either," Eala told reporters.
World number 17 Paolini, meanwhile, hailed her opponent's quality, pointing to Eala's semi-final run in Berlin last month, saying: "I think that the game of Eala's fits very well to grass... I think she's a very dangerous player here.
"She's playing great. She has a huge crowd with her. Now on the bridge they were screaming 'Alex, Alex'. It's so good for our sport, I think, to involve more people around the world."
TOP MEN'S MATCH: ALEXANDER BUBLIK V TAYLOR FRITZ
In the men's draw, Fritz is looking to reach the quarter-finals of Wimbledon for a third straight year, but faces a tricky test in the shape of Kazakh Bublik.
Bublik, who beat Fritz's compatriot Frances Tiafoe in five sets in the third round, is considered one of the great entertainers in tennis for his unorthodox style and use of trick shots.
“It’s going to be a great match against Taylor. I hope to be in form. I have to take care of my body and I hope to deliver a great performance,” Bublik said.
Fritz and Bublik have a perfectly level head-to-head record of 4-4, but the American has won both of their meetings on grass, including in the semi-finals at Stuttgart last month.
DIMITROV 'LIVING IN THE MOMENT'
Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov admitted that though it might be a cliche, he has not worried much about results and is just taking things one day at a time on his return to Wimbledon, a year after an injury ended his 2025 campaign.
The 35-year-old, who faces Briton Arthur Fery in a fourth-round showdown between two wildcards, suffered a pectoral tear while leading eventual champion Jannik Sinner by two-sets-to-love in the last 16 last year.
"Right now, we're just living in the moment," the Bulgarian told reporters after his victory over Matteo Berrettini on Saturday.
"I think that's all I have been trying to do every single day when I get out there on the courts, whether I'm playing a match or not... I know it sounds a little bit cliche, but really the outcome for me, it becomes secondary right now.
"Falling in love again with the game and everything that I have gone through the past 12 months, the magnitude of that, it's way different for me."
WIMBLEDON ORDER OF PLAY ON MONDAY (prefix number denotes seeding)
CENTRE COURT (Play begins at 1230 GMT)
13-Jasmine Paolini (Italy) v 29-Alexandra Eala (Philippines)
Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria) v Arthur Fery (Britain)
13-Jiri Lehecka (Czech Republic) v 2-Alexander Zverev (Germany)
COURT NUMBER ONE (Play begins at 1200 GMT)
5-Alex de Minaur (Australia) v 9-Flavio Cobolli (Italy)
26-Madison Keys (U.S.) v 9-Linda Noskova (Czech Republic)
6-Taylor Fritz (U.S.) v 10-Alexander Bublik (Kazakhstan)
COURT NUMBER TWO (Play begins at 1000 GMT)
Ashlyn Krueger (U.S.) v 12-Marta Kostyuk (Ukraine)
21-Marie Bouzkova (Czech Republic) v 25-Elise Mertens (Belgium)
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
