She began playing at age 4, and at 19, Alex Eala makes WTA history at the Miami Open.
It was a full circle moment when Alexandra “Alex” Eala beat WTA No. 2 player and five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Świątek at the Miami Open. Alex stood at the baseline with a shocked face upon realizing she had just beat the Polish superstar—6-2, 7-5—in what sports commentators are calling “the biggest upset” in recent tennis history.
Demonstrating composure throughout the match, Alex marked her third consecutive victory over a Grand Slam champion in the tournament. Her Miami campaign began with a commanding win over reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys, 6-4, 6-2; followed by a triumph against 2017 French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko, 7-6, 7-5. These victories set the stage for her quarter-final clash with Świątek, a player she has long admired and who attended her graduation at the Rafael Nadal Academy in Mallorca, Spain in 2023.
In the semis, however, she lost the match to World No. 4 player, American Jessica Pegula, 7-6, 5-7, 6-3.
Her victory against World No. 2 player Świątek on March 27 propelled Alex to her first WTA semi-final and positions her as the first Filipina to break into the top 100 rankings. She entered at No. 140 and the live rankings now put her at No 75.
The 19-year-old expressed disbelief after her match with Świątek, saying, “I don’t know what to say, I’m in complete disbelief right now, and I am on cloud nine.” Her coach, Joan Bosch, highlighted their game plan to engage Świątek in a contested and aggressive match, emphasizing Eala’s dedication.
Alex is being celebrated by tennis fans and luminaries including Rafael Nadal and his academy, where she trained since she was 13. Toni Nadal, director of the academy, praised her potential and growth, noting her ability to compete with the world’s best.
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A tennis prodigy
Alex showed interest in tennis when she was only four years old. Tennis was her family’s way of spending time together, according to an interview with Tatler.
She won her first junior singles title in September 2022 when she was only 16, beating Lucie Havlickova, 6-2, 6-4, and becoming the first Filipino player to win a junior Grand Slam singles title at the US Open. At the time, she was seeded No. 10 in the Juniors category.
Competitive sports runs in Alex’s genes. Her mother, Rosemarie Maniego-Eala, is a 1985 Southeast Asian Games bronze medalist in the 100-meter backstroke; she is also a former CFO at Globe Telecom. Alex’s brother Miko played tennis for the Penn State’s Nittany Lions from 2020 to 2024. Her father Mike Eala was quoted as saying by Manila Standard, “Alex is a fast learner, and she never gets dispirited with every loss; in fact, it makes her stronger and fiercer.”
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According to Sportskeeda, Eala has so far won five ITF titles on the singles circuit and three in the doubles category. “Eala’s best grand slam performances include reaching the third qualifying round of the French Open, Wimbledon Open, and the US Open in 2024. She qualified for her WTA 500 main event at the 2024 Guadalajara Open Akron, where she lost to Marie Bouzková in the first round. Ranked No. 2 on the ITF circuit on October 6, 2020, she won her maiden junior title at the 2022 US Open, becoming the first player from the Philippines to win a junior Grand Slam title.”
Training at Rafael Nadal Academy
In 2021, when Alex Eala was 15 and she won her debut ITF tournament in Mallorca, Rafa Nadal commented, “Congratulations for this important moment in your career. We are all very happy for you! Keep up the good work and attitude.”
Alex was then still a student at his academy. For tennis great Nadal, who won 22 Grand Slam titles during his career, the Rafael Nadal Academy that he established in 2016 was a way to pass on his values to the next generation. “Effort, humility, and respect” are the academy’s core principles, mirroring his own traits that made him a champion.
In 2020, Alex told Spin.ph: “(Nadal) is so grounded, and he has achieved more than anything I could dream of, and the fact that he is still so nice to everyone around here is very admirable from him.”
According to online sources, the Rafa Nadal Academy offers various programs with costs ranging from around €2,000 per week or P124,000 (including accommodations) for summer camps and €62,000 per year or P3.8 million for intensive tennis training with academic education.
The academy has produced several rising tennis stars, apart from Alex. Among them: Casper Ruud (Norway), currently a top-ranked ATP player and a multiple-time Grand Slam finalist, who trained at the academy early in his career; Emilio Nava (USA), former junior Grand Slam finalist; Abdullah Shelbayh (the first Jordanian to compete on the ATP Challenger Tour); and Dani Rincon (Spain), who won the 2021 US Open Boys’ Singles title while training at the academy.
