Alexandra Eala created history for the Philippines in Washington, D.C., by becoming the first player from her country to win a WTA title. The milestone drew widespread applause, and Rafael Nadal was one of the first prominent figures to congratulate the 21-year-old on her triumph.
Rafael Nadal Reacts to Alexandra Eala’s Historic Mubadala DC Open Triumph
Much like her breakthrough run to the Miami Open semifinals in 2025, where she stunned Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys, and Iga Świątek before falling to Jessica Pegula, Eala put together another remarkable campaign in Washington, D.C.
She earned impressive victories over the likes of Leylah Fernandez, Elina Svitolina, and Naomi Osaka before turning the tables on Pegula in the final, rallying from a set down to secure a 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 victory and lift her maiden WTA 500 trophy.
Eala, who relocated to Spain at just 13 to train at Rafael Nadal’s academy in Mallorca, received praise from the Spanish legend after completing her title-winning campaign. The Spaniard also recognized the significance of Eala’s achievement as a Filipina and praised the efforts of his academy coach, Joan Bosch, for helping prepare her for this moment of success.
“Congratulations, @AlexEala05! What an incredible week in Washington! A well-deserved trophy for all the hard work. Congratulations to (the Philippines) and to the entire @rnadalacademy team!” he wrote on X.
Nadal’s sister Maribel, who serves as the academy’s deputy general director, also sent a message to Eala on her Instagram story.
“Congrats for your first @wta 500 trophy. Well deserved, @alex.eala,” she wrote.
Congratulations, @AlexEala05!
What an incredible week in Washington! A well-deserved 🏆 for all the hard work. 👏🏻
Congratulations to 🇵🇭 and to the entire @rnadalacademy team! pic.twitter.com/Ddp8eAN00y
— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) August 3, 2026
Eala graduated from the Rafa Nadal Academy in 2023. Earlier this year, she spoke about her interactions with the 22-time Grand Slam champion during her time at the academy.
“He’s there a lot, and he’s very down-to-earth when you talk to him. He asks questions,” she said on the Served with Andy Roddick podcast. “But he’s Rafa, so you’re always going to be scared. I’m always still scared. I don’t know what to say. I always get very tongue-tied. It doesn’t get easier.”
In her young career, Alexandra Eala has won the 2022 US Open girls’ singles title, two challenger-level titles in Guadalajara (2025) and Birmingham (2026), and clinched five ITF titles.
At the Tour level, before lifting the Mubadala DC Open trophy, Eala had reached one other final at the WTA 250 Eastbourne Open in 2025, where she was the runner-up. Her best WTA 1000 result remains her semifinal run in Miami last year, while her Grand Slam breakthrough came at Wimbledon this season, where she reached the fourth round after defeating defending champion Iga Świątek en route.
She would now hope to continue her rich vein of form at the ongoing WTA 1000 event in Toronto.
