How Alexandra Eala is smashing barriers and making history: 'I took inspiration from anyone I could'

Alexandra Eala celebrates her US Open round one comeback win in tears. (Getty/Sarah Stier)

In the city that never sleeps, in the heart of Flushing Meadows, Alexandra Eala dropped on her back, hands over her face, somehow trying to soak in a private moment amongst the cheers from the grandstands. The 20-year-old from the Philippines had just pulled off a stunning comeback, defeating No.14 seed Clara Tauson 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(11) in round one of the US Open.

It marked the first time a player from the Philippines had won a main draw match at a Grand Slam in the Open era. Fittingly, there is a large Filipino community in nearby Queens, known as Little Manila. It's fair to say the locals were walking a little bit taller this week, and the crowd in attendance won't soon forget the history that Eala made.

"I was just so over the moon, and it was just such a rush of emotions," she told reporters after the match.

"I think so many factors made the match so special, and I've been on the losing side of these tight tiebreaks before, so to be on the winning side, it's very memorable."

Coming back from 1-5 down in the deciding set, converting her fifth match point, Eala turned what could have been a straightforward loss into a historic victory. The support from the stands, many waving Philippine flags, made it feel like a home tournament.

"It's so special," she said in her on-court interview. "They make me more and more special. To be Filipino is something I take so much pride in. I don't have a home tournament, so to be able to have this community here at the US Open, I'm so grateful they made me feel like I'm home.

"I'm so blessed to be the first to do this. Like I said, I take so much pride in representing my country. It makes what I do bigger than myself, and it adds meaning to what I do."

Born on May 23, 2005, in Quezon City, Philippines, Alexandra Maniego Eala—known to fans as Alex—comes from a family with a strong sporting background. Her mother, Rosemarie 'Rizza' Maniego-Eala, earned a bronze medal in the 100-metre backstroke at the 1985 Southeast Asian Games.

Alex is also the niece of Noli Eala, a former Philippine Sports Commission chairman and Philippine Basketball Association commissioner. Tennis wasn't an obvious path in a country where basketball and boxing are the dominant disciplines, but Eala picked up a racquet at age four and never looked back.

Her brother, Michael, also a tennis player who played College at Penn State, served as an early inspiration.

"I'm very ambitious. Although there was no one from my country who did this before or was successful in tennis, I took inspiration from anyone I could; from my family, from my brother," she said.

At the young age of just 13, Eala and her family made a bold decision: she would move to Spain to train and study at the Rafael Nadal Academy in Mallorca. It was a sacrifice that is reaping rewards now.

In Mallorca, Eala honed her explosive left-handed game under top coaches, building the technical and mental foundation to help her transition into the pro game. In 2023, she received her high school diploma from the academy, presented by none other than Rafael Nadal and Iga Świątek — a moment that would prove prophetic. Less than 18 months later, Eala would face Świątek on court, not once, but twice.

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Eala's junior career was nothing short of dominant. She burst onto the scene by winning the prestigious Les Petits As tournament in 2018 at age 12, defeating Linda Nosková in the final. Her Grand Slam junior success followed: she claimed the girls' doubles title at the 2020 Australian Open with Priska Madelyn Nugroho, and repeated the feat at the 2021 French Open alongside Oksana Selekhmeteva.

But her crowning achievement came in 2022 at the US Open, where she won the girls' singles title — the first Filipino to capture a junior major singles crown. Along the way, she took out quality opponents, including Australia's Taylah Preston, Russia's Mirra Andreeva and Canada's Victoria Mboko.

Winning a Junior Grand Slam title in a lot of countries would barely generate a ripple in news circles. But in Eala's home country, things were a little different. That victory catapulted her to stardom, landing her on the cover of Vogue Philippines in November 2022. She would reach a career-high junior ranking of No.2 in October 2020.

Transitioning to the pros is rarely easy, but Eala showed early promise. In 2021, at just 15, she received a wildcard into the Miami Open qualifying but fell in her opening match. She collected her first ITF title that year – in her new hometown of Manacor - and continued building momentum.

By 2024, she had secured five ITF singles titles, including a significant W100 event in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain. Her ranking climbed steadily, entering the top 200 after strong showings across the ITF Tour, scattered amongst some WTA main draws.

The seismic breakthrough, however, came in March 2025 at the Miami Open, where Eala, ranked No.140 and entering as a wildcard, stunned the tennis world. She defeated Katie Volynets in round one before dismantling former Grand Slam champions Jeļena Ostapenko and Madison Keys.

A walkover from Paula Badosa advanced her into the quarter-finals, setting up a match against world No.1 Iga Świątek. Eala pulled off the unimaginable upset, her first win over a top 10 player, becoming the inaugural Filipino to reach a WTA semi-final, defeat a top 10 opponent, and crack the top 100. Records were tumbling daily.

"I don't know what to say," she said in her on-court interview after beating the Polish star. "I'm in complete disbelief right now, and I'm on cloud nine."

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As mentioned earlier, the pair had met before at her academy graduation, and when shown a photo of them with Nadal, Eala added, "It's so surreal. I feel like I'm the exact same person as I was in that photo. But of course, circumstances have changed! I'm so happy and so blessed to be able to compete with such a player on this stage."

Circumstances had indeed changed.

In the semi-finals, she faced Jessica Pegula, coming up just short in a competitive three-set match. Pegula praised her afterwards, admitting, "I don't think she needs me to tell her that she's a great player, that we're not going to see enough of her. We definitely are, and she proved that tonight."

Eala's run in Miami tallied more wins than all previous Filipino players combined at the tournament in the Open Era.

"To have a week like this, the stars need to align, and they did this week, and hopefully I can keep that up; that is my goal now, to keep this up," she reflected.

Eala had no trouble carrying the momentum from Miami into the clay season. At the Madrid Open, Eala would meet Świątek again, this time pushing the Pole to a tough second round match that went to three sets, displaying her increasing comfort against elite competition. She fell in the opening round of the Italian Open to Marta Kostyuk, but teamed up with Coco Gauff in doubles, reaching the quarter-finals.

Grass courts would deliver yet another milestone. In June 2025, Eala reached her first WTA final at the Eastbourne Open, defeating Dayana Yastremska and Ostapenko, before losing a heartbreaker to Australia's Maya Joint in a match tiebreak.

It was possibly that match in Eastbourne that Eala had on her mind following her tight first round US Open victory.

"Although I'm at the start of my WTA career, I've played so many matches, and tight matches and tense moments can happen at any level," she said.

"I've been playing since I was four. I'm 20 now, so that's 16 years of experience, whether it's at the junior level, 10-and-under level, professional level. I think that mental strength and that focus are the keys to coming out victorious in those moments."

Wimbledon followed, marking her debut at the All England Club. She drew defending champion Barbora Krejčíková in round one and fell in three sets, showing flashes of her potential. Even in defeat, Eala's performances against top players like Krejčíková and Markéta Vondroušová (three sets in the opening round of the Canadian Open) highlighted her progress.

"Just being in these tournaments, in these Slams, all the 1000s, it just motivates me so much more knowing that the same time last year, there's no way I could have gotten into the main draw with my ranking," she noted.

By mid-2025, Eala had climbed to a career-high ranking of No.56 on June 30, far surpassing Maricris Gentz's previous Filipino high of No.284 in 1999.

As of Friday, August 29, she sits at a live ranking of 69, with a 26-18 win-loss record for the year and over $700,000 in prize money. 10 of her 12 WTA-level victories came in 2025, a sign of her growth and upward trajectory.

Sadly for Eala, her US Open run ended in the second round against Spain's Cristina Bucşa, a tough loss that points to the challenges of sustaining momentum and form at the highest level. There may have also been a slight come-down after the highs of previous days. Despite the defeat, her historic first round triumph against all odds can never be taken away from her.

Eala's influence extends beyond her on-court results, though. She's an inspiration for Southeast Asian tennis. After her win, she shouted out Indonesia's Janice Tjen, who also notched her country's first Grand Slam win in decades on the same day.

"I'm so happy to see the progress of tennis in Southeast Asia in general," she said. "I know that a girl from Indonesia also won her match today. I've known her for a long time, so I'm happy for her. I'm happy that players from this region are coming up and starting to be successful."

Tjen, 23, defeated No.25 Veronika Kudermetova before bowing out in her following match against Emma Raducanu.

Off the court, Eala's star power is growing fast. With over 624,000 Instagram followers, she's a marketable force, especially in the Asian market. Endorsements include Globe (her 'mini-me' doll accompanied her to the US Open), Babolat, Nike, and BPI. She graced the cover of Tatler Philippines in January 2025.

If her trajectory continues, she could quite quickly become one of the highest-paid athletes in the world by tapping into the Asian market.

Eala certainly appears to be well-grounded at this early stage of her career and will no doubt continue to be a role model for millions. Her message to young Filipinos and aspiring players? Simple…

"I would say that anything is possible, and to dream big."

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