Having moved to train at the Rafa Nadal Academy at age 13, the 2022 US Open junior champion has cracked the Top 200 in the world, making her the highest-ranked Filipino woman ever.
It’s been a whirlwind few months for Alex Eala.
A year after becoming the Philippines’ first junior Grand Slam tennis champion at the US Open, the 18-year-old has flourished on the pro tour, capturing two ITF titles and cracking the WTA’s Top 200 – something many players work their whole career for.
She’s also had a shining year off the court, including meeting famed Miami Heat NBA coach – and fellow Filipino – Erik Spoelstra while at a tournament in Florida.
This week (18 September 2023), she sits at a career-high world No.191 in the WTA rankings, having made her debut at the qualifying level of the majors at the Australian Open and successfully qualifying for three WTA events.
Still a teen, Eala is proving she is on her way to making what many in the sport call the toughest of transitions – from the top level of the juniors to the top level of the pros.
Ambitions are high for the youngster, who also won two junior majors in doubles. She shared her goals exclusively with Olympics.com last year:
“I want to be number one, win some Grand Slams, but of course, also to win the Olympics [would be] a huge thing,” Eala said. “After Hidilyn [Diaz]’s win, you know, it’s very inspiring to so many athletes and to so many Filipinos.”
Eala was referring to weightlifter Diaz, who captured the Philippines its first-ever Olympic gold, at Tokyo 2020.
“The Olympics is a very unique experience,” Eala continued. “It’s different than all the other tennis tournaments that you play. I don’t know how to explain it. I think that it’s more for your country than for yourself.”
