Alexandra Eala

Alexandra Eala (born May 23, 2005) is a Filipino professional tennis player. She reached a career-high singles ranking of World No. 31 in February 2026.  

As a junior, she ranked as high as ITF World No. 2 and won the 2022 US Open girls’ singles title, the first junior Grand Slam singles victory for the Philippines.

 Early life 
Eala was born in Quezon City, Philippines. Her mother, Rizza Maniego-Eala, was a national swimmer and Globe Telecom CFO, while her brother Michael “Miko” Eala played college tennis at Penn State. She studied in Manila before moving to Spain to train at the Rafa Nadal Academy, graduating in 2023.

 Juniors 
At twelve, she captured the Les Petits As title in France. She went on to secure junior doubles crowns at the 2020 Australian Open with Priska Nugroho and the 2021 French Open alongside Oksana Selekhmeteva. Rising as high as ITF World No. 2, she achieved a historic milestone by winning the 2022 US Open girls’ singles title, marking the Philippines’ first junior Grand Slam singles triumph.

 Professional career 

 2020–2024: The early years 
Eala turned professional in 2020 and spent her first seasons gaining experience on the ITF Women’s Circuit. She captured her maiden professional singles title at the W15 Manacor in 2021, followed by the W25 Chiang Rai in 2022. In 2023, she added two more singles crowns at the W25 Yecla and W25 Roehampton events, marking her steady rise through the ITF ranks. Her breakthrough came in 2024, when she won her biggest ITF singles title at the W100 Vitoria-Gasteiz, defeating Victoria Jiménez Kasintseva in the final (6–4, 6–4).

Alongside her singles success, Eala also achieved notable results in doubles. In 2024, she partnered with Darja Semeņistaja to win the W50 Pune title, and teamed up with Estelle Cascino to capture the W75 Croissy-Beaubourg and the W100 Vitoria-Gasteiz doubles crowns.  

During this period, Eala also began competing regularly in WTA Tour tournaments and Grand Slam qualifying draws. She reached the quarterfinals at several ITF and WTA 100 events, including the W100 Dubai (2024) where she lost to top seed Polina Kudermetova (6–4, 2–6, 2–6), and the W100 Takasaki and Cary tournaments, where she fell in close three-set matches against seeded opponents. 

She also made appearances in Grand Slam qualifying events: at the French Open 2024, she reached the third round before losing to Julia Riera (6–4, 6–7, 4–6); at Wimbledon 2024, she fell in the final qualifying round to Lulu Sun (6–7, 5–7); and at the US Open 2024, she reached the third qualifying round before being defeated by Elena-Gabriela Ruse (6–3, 1–6, 4–6).

 2025: Breakthrough year 
Eala’s breakthrough came in 2025. At the Miami Open, she reached the semifinals after defeating World No. 2 Iga Świątek in the second round and scoring wins over other top players, before falling to World No. 4 Jessica Pegula in a tight three-set semifinal (6–7, 7–5, 3–6). 

She also advanced to the final of the Eastbourne International, defeating several seeded players along the way before narrowly losing to Maya Joint in a dramatic three-set final (4–6, 6–1, 10–7). 

Later that year, she captured her first WTA 123 singles crown at the Guadalajara 125 Open, rallying from a set down to defeat Panna Udvardy in the final (1–6, 7–5, 6–3). 

At the US Open, she earned her first Grand Slam main-draw victory by upsetting Clara Tauson in the opening round, becoming the first player from the Philippines to win a match at a major. She then fell in the second round to Cristina Bucșa. 
 2026 
In 2026, Eala reached the semifinals of the Auckland Open, where she lost to Wang Xinyu in three sets (7–5, 5–7, 6–4). She then made her Australian Open main-draw debut, falling in the first round to Alycia Parks (6–0, 3–6, 2–6). 

Eala advanced to the quarterfinals at the Philippine Women's Open, losing to Camila Osorio (4–6, 4–6), and at the Abu Dhabi Open, where she was defeated by Ekaterina Alexandrova (3–6, 3–6). She also reached the quarterfinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships, where she fell to World No. 4 Coco Gauff (0–6, 2–6). 

On February 23, 2026, she achieved a career-high ranking of World No. 31.
 Grand Slam performance 
In 2025, Eala experienced a mixed run at the Grand Slam tournaments. She was eliminated in the first round of the French Open singles by Emiliana Arango (0–6, 6–2, 3–6), but managed to advance to the second round in the doubles event with partner Renata Zarazúa, before losing to Olga Danilović / Anastasia Potapova (1–6, 3–6). Later that year, she improved her singles performance by reaching the second round at the US Open, defeating Clara Tauson in the opening round before falling to Cristina Bucșa. At Wimbledon, she was eliminated in the first round of singles by former champion Barbora Krejčíková (6–3, 2–6, 1–6), while in doubles she partnered with Eva Lys but lost in the first round to Ingrid Gamarra Martins / Quinn Gleason (4–6, 2–6). 

Moving into 2026, Eala competed in both singles and doubles at the Australian Open. In singles, she was knocked out in the first round by Alycia Parks (6–0, 3–6, 2–6). In doubles, she partnered with Ingrid Martins, but the pair lost in the first round to Shuko Aoyama / Magda Linette (6–7(3), 6–2, 3–6).

Playing style
Eala plays as an aggressive baseliner, led by her powerful forehand and steady two‑handed backhand. Her serve is still developing, but her return of serve is already a major strength. She excels on hard courts, though clay remains more challenging due to defensive counterpunchers.
 Representation for the Philippines 
She won bronze medals at the 2021 Southeast Asian Games and the 2022 Asian Games, helped the Philippines gain promotion in the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup, and won gold in singles at the 2025 Southeast Asian Games.

 Endorsements 
Eala signed her first endorsement with Globe Telecom at age eight, later partnering with Babolat, Nike, and the Bank of the Philippine Islands. In February 2026, she became a Milo brand ambassador.

 Accolades 
She has won several Philippine Sportswriters Association awards.Citations for Eala's PSA Annual Awards:










  In 2021, Tatler Asia listed her as one of Asia’s most influential people.

 Other websites 
 Alexandra Eala Official WTA Page
 Alexandra Eala Official ITF Women's World Tennis Page
 Alexandra Eala's Tennis Abstract page

 References 

Category:Filipino sportspeople
Category:Tennis players
Category:2005 births