Alexandra Eala has achieved something that no Filipino player has ever done. The 20-year-old rising star became the first woman from the Philippines to reach a WTA Tour final. She defeated Varvara Gracheva 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 at the Eastbourne Open on Friday to make her way to the final.
Alexandra Eala Makes History by Reaching Eastbourne Final
The semifinal match against Gracheva wasn’t easy for Eala as she had to fight through a tough battle that lasted over two hours. The Filipino player from Quezon City came through the qualifying rounds and beat several strong opponents on her way to the final, including the third seed Jeļena Ostapenko.
Eala is now set to face Australia’s Maya Joint in Saturday’s championship match, who is World No.1 51.
Tennis legend Rafael Nadal acknowledged this historical feat by the Filipino as he shared a tweet on X (formerly Twitter). He wrote: “Congratulations @AlexEala!👏🏻😊” and reposted a tweet from WTA which captured the moment of Eala’s win over Gracheva. She trains at the Rafael Nadal Academy in Mallorca and is currently being coached by Joan Bosch.
Congratulations @AlexEala! 👏🏻😊 https://t.co/SJBT0edStw
— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) June 27, 2025
Eala got emotional after her semifinal win, which was a special moment for her. “I’m super happy because that was a tough match and there were some really tough moments where she was playing well,” she said after the match.
Alexandra Eala’s Breakthrough in 2025
Eala has had an amazing season so far. She made her biggest breakthrough at the Miami Open in March, shocking the tennis world by defeating three Grand Slam champions – Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys, and World No. 2 Iga Świątek. This run helped her become the first Filipino player to reach the top 100 in the WTA rankings.
Her connection to Rafael Nadal goes back to when she was just 12 years old. Eala won the Les Petits As tournament, which earned her a scholarship to the Rafael Nadal Academy in Mallorca, Spain. At age 13, her family made the difficult decision to send her to train there. She spent seven years at the academy before graduating in 2023.
Nadal has been a strong supporter of Eala’s career. When she beat Swiatek at the Miami Open, Nadal posted on social media, “We are extremely proud of you, Alex. What an incredible tournament! Let’s keep dreaming!”
👏🏻 We are extremely proud of you, Alex.
What an incredible tournament! Let’s keep dreaming! 💪🏼 https://t.co/OlQXYRjO4f
— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) March 26, 2025
He even sent her a private message after that win, which was the first time he had messaged her personally. Her coach Joan Bosch shared that Nadal once stepped in to help coach Alexandra Eala directly, even picking up a racquet to show her how to improve her serve.
