Alexandra Eala may be a newcomer to the bigger stages of the tennis world, but she has already become a household name after her incredible run at the Miami Open. At that tournament, she stunned everyone by outclassing three Grand Slam champions – Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys, and Iga Swiatek on her way to the SF. With this impressive winning streak, Eala also became the first Filipina woman to reach a WTA event in SF. If we take a look at her tennis journey, Eala left her family behind to train at the prestigious Rafa Nadal Academy at the age of just 12. Then, at the age of 17, she became the 2022 US Open girls’ champion. After winning the title in 2022, she revealed that Rafael Nadal is her idol. But other than Nadal, Eala is also a big fan of Maria Sharapova! What are the key aspects of these tennis legends that inspire her the most, though?

Well, after winning the title in 2022, Alexandra Eala said, “I think my idol is obviously Rafa. But I’m not just saying that because I’m in his academy (laughter). No, he’s a very good role model, something a lot of people should idolize and try to be. The biggest thing I notice in Rafa is how he fights till the end, how his thoughts are so clear. He’s so calm, but at the same time so fired up. I think I really tried to channel that energy during this whole week.” This year, when Eala made those incredible runs in Miami, Nadal congratulated her through his social media posts. In fact, when she had defeated Iga Swiatek QF, Nadal tweeted, “We are extremely proud of you, Alex. What an incredible tournament! Let’s keep dreaming!“

Interestingly, following that impressive victory against the Pole, Eala attended the press conference where she spoke about the WTA players she looked up to while growing up. “Growing up my absolute favourite was Maria Sharapova. I guess I loved her grit and the way she styled herself and carried herself. I was very young and she was someone I really looked up to.” Other than Maria Sharapova, she also mentioned the names of Li Na, Ash Barty, and recently retired Simona Halep. But what are the key factors that made her mostly admire Nadal and Sharapova? In an interview before kick-starting her action at the Italian Open, Eala revealed, “I remember one time I watched Rafa [Nadal] in person at Roland Garros.“

Recalling those moments, she also added, “I was probably around 12. I would disagree with people who might say I play similarly to him, but I think more than my playing style, it’s more the attitude that you get from people. I also watched a lot of [Maria] Sharapova when I was growing up, so a lot of that grit and power I got from her. From Rafa, I got a lot of my fight. But I think my favorite thing about watching Sharapova growing up was her outfits! (laughs).” Interestingly, Alexandra Eala even got the chance to click a picture with her idol, Sharapova, in her childhood days.

Just like Nadal and Sharapova, Eala now has a partnership with Nike. Is it just a matter of time before this new world number 70 has her own signature line like her idols? Time will tell! 

Alexandra Eala’s “main goal is simply to be the best version” of herself. But unfortunately for the 19-year-old Filipina star, she was far away from her best in her first match at the Italian Open!

Alexandra Eala suffers a heavy defeat at the hands of Marta Kostyuk in the 2025 Italian Open

Before this match, Alexandra Eala spoke about how amazed she was to see so many Filipino supporters in Rome. But unfortunately for her, she failed to capitalize on that enormous support and went down to Marta Kostyuk by 0-6,1-6. The Ukrainian won the first 10 games of the match, losing just 5 points on serve. This was her maiden match, and it seemed she didn’t have any answers to counter Kostyuk.

Following this incredible win, Marta Kostyuk was even seen consoling Eala at the net. What did she say to her at the net, though? Speaking on this later on, Kostyuk added, “It’s amazing to be in this place. It’s not like it’s a shame, you know, sorry you’re so good, you know? It’s great, but it’s a rough road. I told her at the net, ‘It’s a rough road, but you’ve got it. Just enjoy it,’ because it is. It’s not pleasant when you go onto the court after working so hard and things don’t go your way and you’re trying to figure it all out. You feel everything so much more. You feel everything like it’s so big, but that’s just because their time hasn’t passed by. They still haven’t had enough matches played, enough shit that you’ve been in! But it’s cool because, if you’ve gone through that, congrats: you’re going to be better on the other side.“

However, despite this loss, there is some good news for Alexandra Eala. With the ten points she has gained from losing in the first round, she has risen six places to a new projected best ranking of world number 64 in the Live WTA Rankings. She’ll be now teaming with Coco Gauff to play doubles later this week, and then after that, Eala will perhaps be seen in action at the Parma Ladies Open. Do you think this young sensation can win a big title this year?