In one day, two women’s tennis stars faced massive heartbreaks. Saturday, June 28 became a day of tears for tennis fans around the world.
Iga Świątek, the former world No. 1 from Poland, lost to Jessica Pegula in the Bad Homburg Open final. The same day, 20-year-old Alexandra Eala fell short against Maya Joint in the Eastbourne Open final. Both players couldn’t hold back their emotions after coming so close to victory.
Iga Świątek’s Heartbreak at Bad Homburg
Świątek was seeking her first grass court title and her first trophy since the 2024 French Open. The Polish player had not won a tournament in over a year, making this final even more important for her career.
Pegula defeated Świątek 6-4, 7-5 in the WTA 500 Bad Homburg Open final. The American served well throughout the match, facing only one break point. Świątek made 39 unforced errors during the two sets, costing her the match.
Iga 💔💔💔💔💔💔💔 pic.twitter.com/O5Pw7MmP92
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) June 28, 2025
After the loss, Świątek went to her bench and broke down in tears. She used a towel to cover her face, trying to hide her emotions from the cameras. The pain was clear to see as she struggled with another missed opportunity to end her title drought.
“This tournament shows there is hope for me on grass,” Świątek said during the trophy ceremony.
Despite her tears, she remained positive about her grass court future heading into Wimbledon.
Alexandra Eala’s Defeat at Eastbourne Open Final
The Filipino player made history by becoming the first person from her country to reach a WTA Tour final. She faced 19-year-old Maya Joint from Australia in the Eastbourne Open final.
Eala held four championship points in the final set tiebreak but couldn’t convert any of them. Joint saved all four match points and won 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(10) after two hours and 26 minutes. The final score in the tiebreak was 12-10 in favor of Joint.
Alexandra Eala💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔
The pain of missing out on 4 championship points cuts deep
But she has so much to be proud of
Within a matter of months, this 20 year old went from being unknown to becoming the pride of Filipino tennis🥹
Keep going 🇵🇭❤️
pic.twitter.com/Ghg29doAeq— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) June 28, 2025
When Eala missed her final chance at 10-9 in the tiebreak, she went wide with her attack. Joint then won her championship point at 11-10 with a backhand crosscourt winner. After the match, Eala left the court in tears to compose herself before the trophy ceremony.
The loss was especially painful because Eala was so close to making tennis history for the Philippines, as she would have become the first Filipino player to win a WTA Tour title. Instead, she had to settle for being a runner-up in her first tour-level final.
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Świątek and Eala came within reach of major titles but fell short at the final hurdle. Their tears showed how much these moments meant to them and their countries.
Świątek is set to face Polina Kudermetova in the first round of Wimbledon on July 1, 2025, whereas Eala will face Barbora Krejčíková as her first round opponent.
