Alexandra Eala is having the best year of her career in 2026, winning a WTA 500 title in the DC Open, but she recently took a moment to celebrate the people behind her success. As she gears up for the Cincinnati Open, the Filipina took to Instagram to honor her parents, Michael Eala and Rizza Maniego-Eala, on their anniversary with a couple of heartwarming family snaps.
Alexandra Eala Celebrates Parents’ Anniversary With Heartfelt Instagram Tribute
Eala shared her love for her parents through a few touching stories on Instagram. The first story showed an emotional photo of the tennis star tightly hugging her mother and father on the court at a tournament in Dubai. The 21-year-old wrote on the photo, “Happy anniversary to the definition of couple goals ❤️,” and added, “Lucky to be part of your love @rizza.eala @michael.eala.”
In her next story, she posted a happy, smiling selfie taken with her parents and her older brother, Miko Eala. She put the song “Inventing” by Matilda Mann in the background. Across the family picture, she wrote, “Love is just too weak of a word,” tagging her father, mother, and brother.
CELEBRATING 28 YEARS!
Alex Eala greets her parents Mike and Rizza a happy anniversary on her IG Stories ❤️ She also shares a family photo with brother Miko Eala
📸 Eala IG pic.twitter.com/u1hQCdLlSU
— Dyan Castillejo (@DYANCASTILLEJO) August 15, 2026
This family celebration comes amid an incredible 2026 season for the World No. 20. Last week, Eala made history by winning the Mubadala DC Open, which was her first WTA Tour-level singles title.
In the 2026 season, she defeated several big names and top-10 opponents, including Elena Rybakina, Iga Świątek, Jessica Pegula, Naomi Osaka, Elina Svitolina, and Leylah Fernandez.
A huge part of this success comes from her time at the Rafa Nadal Academy. Eala moved to Mallorca, Spain, at just 12 years old to train there.
Her mother, Rizza, is a former national swimmer who won a bronze medal at the 1985 Southeast Asian Games before transitioning into the corporate world to become the chief financial officer of Globe Telecom.
Meanwhile, her father, Mike, has been a regular fixture in her team, managing her tournaments and flights. The couple was present at her third-round match at Wimbledon.
“They’re so much… Not just in my tennis journey. They’re my parents. They guide me on court. They guide me off court. I’m really blessed to have parents like them, role models like them. And people who have helped shape me to become who I am now,” Eala said after winning against Świątek at Wimbledon.
Eala will play her next match at the Cincinnati Open in the second round, as the 17th seed, against Elena-Gabriela Ruse.
