Alexandra Eala has rapidly moved on from the Australian Open, where the rising WTA star suffered an early exit.
Eala is a hugely popular figure, with such popularity evidenced by the massive volume of fans who wanted to watch her play at the Australian Open.
But she didn’t have the run she was hoping for in Melbourne, losing in the first round of both the singles and doubles events.
Eala has since played at the Philippine Women’s Open, where she lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Camila Osorio.
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Alexandra Eala loved ‘crazy’ practice session with Rafael Nadal
A product of the Rafael Nadal Academy, the 20-year-old is now playing singles and doubles at the Abu Dhabi Open.
Ahead of her opener, Eala has shared insight into a training session with tennis legend Nadal, telling The National: “It was crazy.
“It was my first time ever hitting with him and I was so nervous and it was definitely physically demanding for me.
“I mean he was off court for like a year and I’ve been training strong and I feel like, man I was so far.
“But it was just such a great experience to really absorb all that knowledge. Just to say that you hit with Rafa, it’s insane, but I feel so lucky and so blessed.
“Rafa says a lot in his speeches that it’s important to surround yourself with good people and I really think that this is such a great piece of advice.
“And he’s told me other stuff about my game, but that’s what stood out the most.”
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Alexandra Eala looks back on ‘sudden’ 2025 Miami Open run
Eala has made huge strides in her brief career so far, most notably with her dream run at the 2025 Miami Open.
The Philippines star made it all the way to the semifinals of the WTA 1000 tournament, where she shocked many of the game’s biggest stars.
Eala knocked out Iga Swiatek, Madison Keys, Paula Badosa and Jelena Ostapenko, before Jessica Pegula won their semifinal clash.
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Looking back on that venture, she said: “Obviously the Miami run was quite sudden, but after that, I took it step by step and nothing came really in a big wave.
“So I eased into certain changes that came with being in the top 100 and I think it’s a similar story for the start of this season, with the people and just the exposure I’m getting.
“So I try to take it step by step. I try to remind myself that work is work and all of this wouldn’t be possible if I didn’t work hard.”
It was a truly phenomenal run from the youngster, who has quickly become one of the most exciting players on the WTA Tour.
And while she was underwhelming in Melbourne, the future definitely looks very bright for Eala, who is currently ranked 45th in the world.
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