Rafael Nadal has been closely following Alexandra Eala`s performance at the Miami Open WTA 1000 event, recognizing the progress of his tennis academy`s former student.
This week at Hard Rock Stadium, 19-year-old Eala has achieved a historic milestone for herself and the Philippines. She became the first Filipino player in the Open Era to win three, and now four, main-draw matches at a WTA 1000 tournament. Entering the Miami Open as a wild card, the world No. 140 started with a victory over American Katie Volynets, followed by a win against No. 25 seed Jelena Ostapenko 7-6(2), 7-5.
She continued her success with a dominant 6-4, 6-2 victory over Australian Open champion Madison Keys. Her most significant achievement came on Wednesday when she stunned World No. 2 Iga Swiatek in straight sets. This victory made her only the third teenage wild card in the past 40 years to defeat a Top 2 opponent.
Eala`s win over Ostapenko marked her as the first woman representing the Philippines to defeat a Top 30 player since the WTA rankings were introduced in 1975, and also the first to defeat a Top 10 player. She is the only professional tennis player from the Philippines currently holding a world ranking, male or female.
Throughout her successful run in the tournament`s first week, Nadal, her idol who retired from tennis last year, has been supporting the young player from afar.
After her victory against Ostapenko, Nadal celebrated Eala`s achievement with a message on X, previously known as Twitter.
`Congratulations Alex! What a great win for you and for [the Philippines],` Nadal wrote.
Eala, who like Nadal, uses Babolat racquets and is a left-handed player, has stated that moving to Mallorca at the age of 13 to train at Nadal`s academy was a transformative experience. After winning the junior US Open three years ago, her popularity in the Philippines, a nation of nearly 115 million people, surged. She gained over 30,000 Instagram followers during her Miami run, adding to her initial 126,000, and has been featured on magazine covers like Tater and Vogue regionally.
Amid her rising fame, Eala credits lessons learned from Nadal for helping her maintain focus on improving her tennis skills.
`He is so grounded despite his incredible achievements,` she mentioned in an interview with Philippine broadcast network GMA, `and it`s admirable how he remains kind to everyone around him.`
Rupert Caldwell