Alexandra Eala is setting high goals in the midst of a season of acclimatization to the WTA Tour. The former US Open juniors champion has adapted quickly to the tour during 2025, a year she started barely in the world No. 140 spot but which now sees her in the top 55 of the live WTA rankings.
A week ago, the Filipina won her first WTA 125 Challenger in Guadalajara, defeating Panna Udvardy in the final. The 20-year-old star has had several memorable performances throughout the season, especially her notable run at the Miami Open, where she earned a wildcard into the main draw and reached the semifinals, defeating several Grand Slam champions along the way: Jelena Ostapenko (No. 25), Madison Keys (No. 5), and Iga Swiatek (No. 2).
The player, who trained at the Rafa Nadal Tennis Academy, recently reached her first WTA final on the grass courts of the Eastbourne Open, where she fell to Australian teenager Maya Joint in a third-set tie-break. Although she missed out on her first title, Eala recorded a significant rise in the rankings two weeks before achieving her first victory in a Grand Slam main draw, when she defeated the 14th seed Clara Tauson in the first round, again in a third-set tie-break.
“I definitely think that this year has been the best of my career so far, but it’s hard to say if this is the best moment of my career because you know tennis has a lot of ups and downs,” Eala told Clay while competing at the WTA 250 São Paulo Open this week. “So I’ve definitely had my own set of struggles this past week and obstacles to overcome. So I think I’m just happy with how I’m managing and how I’m able to solve certain situations and problems.”Making history for Philippine tennis
Eala is pure history for her country’s tennis, being the first Filipina player to reach the WTA top 100. She is also the first to defeat multiple Grand Slam champions and different top-5 rivals. At just 20 years old, Eala is already the best female tennis player in her country’s history, and with much more to accomplish in a career that is just beginning.
Unlike some of her colleagues, Eala didn’t have a high-profile role model from her country, which has a limited history in tennis. “Maybe we didn’t necessarily have someone at the professional level who exceeded internationally, but for me personally I had so many people to look up to for one in my family you know not just in tennis but role model life in general.”
“Obviously representation is so important because it inspires. But I don’t think you should be limited by that to take inspiration. So for me, I was inspired by, let’s say, Sharapova, because she was so aggressive and mentally tough. But then on the other side, I also looked up to Li Na because she was Asian. So there’s a difference. You can take different inspirations from anyone you want.”
Eala acknowledged during the interview that her goals are high, aiming to become a major tournament champion and reach the top of the rankings. “I’m very ambitious, I think everybody has huge dreams in tennis. To be world number one and to win Grand Slams is my dream, but in the bigger scale of things to be a professional tennis player and to reach this level is something I’m already very proud of.”