Alexandra Eala

**Alexandra Eala** (born May 23, 2005) is a Filipino tennis player who became the country’s highest-ranked, reaching world No. 29 in March 2026. She is the first Filipino to enter the top 30, with wins over top-20 players, multiple ITF singles and doubles titles, a WTA125 title, and a WTA tour-level final.

As a junior, she ranked No. 2 in the world and won the 2022 US Open girls’ singles, the Philippines’ first junior Grand Slam victory. She also captured two junior doubles Grand Slam titles — the 2020 Australian Open and the 2021 French Open.

Eala has played professionally in Grand Slam events since 2023, reaching the second round of the 2025 US Open in singles and the 2025 French Open in doubles.

## Early life 
Alexandra Maniego Eala was born on May 23, 2005, in Quezon City, Philippines, to Michael Eala, a business executive, and Rosemarie "Rizza" Maniego-Eala, former Globe Telecom CFO and SEA Games swimming medalist. She is the niece of sports official Noli Eala, and her brother Michael "Miko" Eala played tennis for Pennsylvania State University.  

She started tennis at age four, coached by her grandfather Roberto "Bobby" Maniego, and later studied at Immaculate Conception Academy and Colegio San Agustin – Makati before training at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Spain, where she graduated in 2023.

## Juniors 
At twelve, Eala won the Les Petits As title in France, later claiming junior doubles titles at the 2020 Australian Open with Priska Nugroho and the 2021 French Open with Oksana Selekhmeteva, before making history with the 2022 US Open girls’ singles crown, the Philippines’ first junior Grand Slam singles win.

## Professional Career 
Eala turned professional in 2020, starting on the ITF Women’s Circuit in Spain and Tunisia. She won her first singles title at ITF W15 Manacor in 2021, and added more titles in 2022 at ITF W25 Chiang Rai, plus finals and semifinals at W60 Madrid and Vitoria-Gasteiz. In 2023 she won ITF W15 Yecla and ITF W25 Roehampton, and in 2024 claimed the ITF W100 Vitoria-Gasteiz singles crown along with three doubles titles. played the Eastbourne International final, and won her first WTA 125 singles title at Guadalajara.

In 2026, she made semifinals in singles and doubles at the ASB Classic in Auckland, reached the semifinals in doubles and quarterfinals in singles at the Abu Dhabi Open, and reached quarterfinals in singles at the Philippine Women's Open and Dubai Tennis Championships. She advanced to the fourth round at both the Indian Wells Open and the Miami Open, rising to a career-high singles ranking of World No. 29.

Eala has competed in Grand Slam tournaments as a professional since 2023. In singles, she started in the qualifying rounds from 2023 to early 2025, then entered the main draws beginning with the 2025 French Open through the 2026 Australian Open. Her best singles result was reaching the second round of the US Open in 2025.  Her serve is still improving, but her return is already a major weapon.  She shines on hard courts, while clay is tougher against defensive players.

Eala has beaten elite players like Świątek, Keys, Paolini and Gauff, but struggles against mid‑ranked opponents with win rates under 40%. Her serve is consistent but lacks power, with few aces and rising double faults. On return, she is strong against big servers but less effective against steady ones. Hard courts bring her best results, while grass and clay remain inconsistent.

## 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 began endorsing Globe Telecom at age eight and has since partnered with Babolat, Nike, the Bank of the Philippine Islands, and became a Milo brand ambassador.

## Accolades 
She has won several Philippine Sportswriters Association 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