Who is Alexandra Eala? Rafael Nadal academy graduate stars as she reaches quarter-finals at Miami Open

Rafa Nadal Tennis Academy graduate Alexandra Eala has enjoyed a remarkable run to the semi-finals of the WTA 1000 Miami Open. The 19-year-old wildcard beat Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets and then upset Australian Open champion Madison Keys. She followed up by beating world No. 2 Iga Swiatek to reach the semis and said afterwards that she was in "complete disbelief".

Alexandra Eala na haar zege op Iga Swiatek.

Image credit: Getty Images

Alexandra Eala is the latest up-and-coming tennis prospect to make a name for herself with a breakout run to the semi-finals of the Miami Open.

Eala, a 19-year-old wildcard, is yet to drop a set in four matches at the WTA 1000 tournament.

The 19-year-old beat former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko in the second round, then toppled Australian Open winner Madison Keys, before the biggest upset of all against world No. 2 and five-time Grand Slam winner Iga Swiatek.

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Eala is the first player from the Philippines to reach a tour-level semi-final, and next week will become the first Filipina to be ranked inside the WTA top 100.

Before playing in Miami she had won one match in five previous WTA 1000 appearances and had never beaten an opponent in the top 40; now she has three top-25 wins.

Eala started playing the game at the age of four and competed in the WTA Future Stars event in 2016 and 2017.

The left-hander has also trained at Rafael Nadal’s tennis academy in Mallorca since she was 13 and comes from a very sporty family.

Her mum Rosemarie Maniego-Eala was a professional swimmer and won a bronze medal at the 1985 Southeast Asian Games, while her brother is also pursuing a career in tennis.

After turning pro, Eala made her WTA Tour debut in qualifying for the 2021 Miami Open and boasts a junior Grand Slam title at the 2022 US Open.

She has also won five times on the ITF Circuit, while her previous best at a WTA 1000 tournament was a second-round appearance at the 2024 Madrid Open.

Despite entering qualifying for Grand Slams on six occasions, Eela is yet to feature in the main draw for any of the sport’s four marquee events.

However, with her ranking set to soar she could soon earn direct entry into Grand Slam main draws.

Eala said she was "in complete disbelief" after knocking out five-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek to reach the semis.

Alexandra Eala

Image credit: Getty Images

Eala, who had Toni Nadal in the stands to watch her against Swiatek, graduated from the Rafa Nadal Tennis Academy less than two years ago and was pictured alongside Nadal and Swiatek in one of her graduation photographs.

"It's so surreal, because I feel like I'm the exact same person that I was in that photo," she said.

"But of course, circumstances have changed and I'm just so happy and so blessed to be able to compete with such a player on this stage."

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