📰 NEWS FLASH: Rising star Alexandra Eala vows her journey is far from over as she reflects on her rapid ascent into tennis’s top tier ⚡IH

Alexandra Eala finished the 2025 season having become one of the year’s biggest breakthroughs. Her campaign at the Miami Open in March put her name on the tennis world’s front pages after she defeated three Grand Slam champions—including two top-5 players—on her way to her first WTA 1000 semi-final.

The Filipino star started the year at No. 147 and achieved a notable climb into the Top 50. Her great season earned her a nomination for the WTA’s Newcomer of the Year—alongside other stellar names like Victoria Mboko, Iva Jovic, and Lois Boisson.

The player, trained at the Rafa Nadal Academy, enjoyed a notable junior career, winning the Girls’ Singles Crown at the 2022 US Open and achieving her best ranking as No. 2 in the ITF junior rankings. During 2025, she transformed from a future prospect into a name to watch on the Tour, and at just 20 years old, she looks forward to continuing her progress next season.

She can already quickly claim to be the best tennis player in Philippine history, a country that had never before had a representative at the highest level of tennis. She recently gave an interview to Vogue Philippines, where she asserted that she is still “hungry to do even more and to work even harder.”

Learning to Lose, Learning to Fight: The Miami Magic

During 2025, Eala won her first WTA 125 title in Guadalajara, in addition to reaching her first WTA 250 final at the Eastbourne Open. On the English grass, she wasted up to 4 match points and ended up falling to Australian teenager Maya Joint. “Tennis is such a beautiful sport because it really keeps you grounded,” the Filipino player asserted. “You lose, you really learn to lose, because you lose almost every week. And that’s what I’ve learned: there’s always going to be someone better than you. And what I try to do is just be the best version of myself.”

Eala has also experienced major triumphs, the most important being her Miami campaign, which catapulted her from No. 140 to No. 75 by March of this year. Eala overcame three Grand Slam champions in straight sets: Jelena Ostapenko (No. 25), Madison Keys (No. 5), and Iga Swiatek (No. 2).

Alexandra Eala at Miami Open

In the semi-finals, she put up a good fight against the No. 4, Jessica Pegula, but eventually conceded in three sets (6-7, 7-5, 6-3). “I’m so proud of myself and what I’ve accomplished. I’m [also] proud and grateful [to] the team and all the effort that they’ve put in,” she told Vogue months after Miami. “I’m just happy that, you know, they see results and that I can share this happiness with them also.”

“It’s not typical for me either to be that upbeat after a loss,” she shared at an event organized by her sponsor BPI. “But I was just at a point that I was so thankful. I lost, but I put up a good fight. I sat down and looked into the crowd and there were countless Filipino flags… I was in Miami, playing against an American, but the stadium was full of Filipinos. I just felt so supported and so loved.”

Despite the loss, the 20-year-old catapulted her name into the list of players to follow for the season. The large Filipino audience in Miami made her one of the sensations of the tournament, and since then, sponsors and interviews have been abundant for Eala. “I like to emulate the best of us Filipinos,” she says regarding the extensive Filipino support, from a country that does not have much tennis tradition and had never had a player ranked within the Top 50.

Alex Eala poses for Vogue Philippines 💃