From Manacor to Miami: Alex Eala makes history and is now the world No. 75

02.04.2025

RNA Editorial.

Alex Eala has become, in her own right, one of the biggest sensations of world tennis. The 19-year-old Filipino Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar alumni arrived at the Miami Open on an invitation from the organisers as the world number 140. Few would have been bold enough to predict she would return from North America one of the best 75 players on the planet after one of the biggest upsets on the WTA Tour in 2025.

In her opener, the young player beat home player Katie Volynets 6-3, 7-6 to earn herself an opportunity to square off against former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, whom she defeated 7-6, 7-5. In the third round she saw off Madison Keys, number 5 in the world and the current Australian Open champion (6-4, 6-2). Having progressed to the quarterfinals without playing due to the withdrawal of Paula Badosa, fate served her up an encounter with Iga Swiatek, the world number 2, with whom she had previously crossed paths. Two years ago, the Polish player attended Alex’s graduation ceremony at the Rafa Nadal Academy, invited by Rafa himself. The two players shared an emotional moment together and, two years later, they met again on one of the biggest stages in the world of tennis. Alex beat the five-time Grand Slam champion 6-2, 7-5, earning herself international recognition and a place in the Miami Open semifinals.

Always with an eye on the progress of the most promising talents at his academy, where Eala has been honing her craft for the last 7 years, Rafa Nadal himself wrote on social media; “Congratulations Alex! Such a great victory for you and for the Philippines”.

These incredible results, which were picked up by the specialist press, come after years of hard work and practice. In 2018 she arrived in Manacor with her brother Michael to train at the Rafa Nadal Academy and she has been progressing ever since in her tennis, her academic work and on a personal level. In 2020, at just 14 years of age, she won the doubles title at the Junior Australian Open alongside Priska Nugroho and the following year she did likewise at the Junior French Open. In 2021 she also claimed her first ITF title, on the very courts of the Rafa Nadal Academy. In 2022 she made history by winning the Junior US Open singles title, becoming the first Filipino to do so. In 2023 she won several ITF titles, consolidating herself as one of the most promising young players in women’s tennis. In 2024 she picked up her first win in a WTA 1000 during the Mutua Madrid Open and won her first trophy in the W100 category in Vitoria-Gasteiz.

Currently coached by Joan Bosch, the Filipino player was knocked out of the Miami Open by one of the biggest stars on the women’s tour, Jessica Pegula, 7-6, 5-7, 6-3. Alex Eala returns to Manacor having become the first Filipino player in the Open Era to beat a player in the WTA Top 10 and one in the Top 5 since the rankings were first published in 1975. She has also become the first Filipino woman to break into the Top 100, climbing to number 75 in the world.

However, the best of her story is yet to be written and her best records are still to come.