Alexandra Eala made history on Saturday, becoming the first Filipino player to win a WTA title.
The 20-year-old star burst onto the WTA Tour earlier this year: defeating three Grand Slam champions on her way to the Miami Open semi-finals.
After suffering heartbreak at the hands of Maya Joint at the Eastbourne Open in June, Eala has demonstrated her grit, picking up her first Grand Slam win at the US Open with victory over 14th seed Clara Tauson.
She followed up this moment by capturing her first WTA title at the Guadalajara Open 125k Challenger event in Mexico.
Eala, formerly junior world number two, has trained at the Rafa Nadal Academy for several years, honing her skills among some of tennis’ finest young athletes.
The academy’s namesake, Rafael Nadal, sent a message to Eala after her victory in Mexico.
Rafael Nadal’s message to Alexandra Eala
Eala’s superb week in Mexico was capped off with victory over Panna Udvardy on Saturday, marking Eala’s first-ever WTA title.
The Filipino player struggled early on against her Hungarian opponent, before roaring back to win, 1-6 7-5 6-3.
Following her victory, Rafael Nadal took to social media to congratulate the young star on her victory.
On X [Twitter], Nadal said: “Congrats Alexandra Eala for your first WTA [title].
“I am happy and proud of what you are achieving for yourself and for the Philippines.”
Eala recently revealed what she has learnt from Nadal while training at his academy, and it seems her time at the institute has played a significant role in her journey from the fringes of the WTA Tour, to a top 100 player and title winner.
Eala’s next tournament
The final WTA Tour Grand Slam of the calendar year concluded on Saturday evening, with Aryna Sabalenka defeating Amanda Anisimova to win her second consecutive US Open Women’s Singles title.
However, the tennis calendar is a year-round spectacle, and no less so for Alexandra Eala.
Eala will have little time to celebrate her victory in Mexico, as she is due to play at the Sao Paulo Open in Brazil this week.
The young star, seeded third at the tournament, has been granted a bye through to the second round. There, she awaits either Argentina’s Julia Riera or Russia’s Vitalia Diatchenko.
