Who is Alex Eala? The first woman from Philippines to reach a WTA final

Current world no. 74 Alex Eala scripted history at the Eastbourne Open on Friday (Jun 27) as she etched her name as the first Filipino woman to reach a WTA Tour final. The 19-year-old tennis star from the Philippines achieved this milestone after a remarkable performance at the Centre Court in the 2025 Eastbourne Open. Eala fought her way through a challenging match that lasted two hours and 22 minutes, defeating France's Varvara Gracheva with a scoreline of 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 in the semifinals.

Hailing from Quezon City in Philippines, a country where Tennis is not a primary sport, Eala began playing tennis at a young age. At 12, she won the prestigious Les Petits As tournament in 2018. That same year, she joined the Rafa Nadal academy in Spain, a move that shaped her into a world-class player. She debuted in a junior grand slam at the 2019 US Open and continued her rise, winning the 2020 Australian Open junior doubles title with Indonesian partner Priska Nugroho.

Also Read | From Ronaldo to Neymar: Meet the 8 richest footballers in the world (net worth) - check where Messi stands

By 2021, Eala had reached as high as no. 4 in the junior rankings. She added two bronze medals at the 2023 Asian Games (China) in singles and mixed doubles with Francis Alcantara.

Earlier this year, Eala made headlines at the 2025 Miami Open by defeating 2025 Australian Open champion Madison Keys and former world no. 1 Iga Swiatek. These wins not only marked her as the first Filipino woman to beat top 10 seed players at the WTA level but also broke her into the world’s top 100 rankings.

Athleticism runs in her family - her mother, Rosemarie Maniego-Eala, is a former Southeast Asian Games swimming medalist, and her uncle, Noli Eala, once served as the chairperson of the Philippine Sports Commission.

Eala will face 2024 Wimbledon women's singles champion Barbora Krejcikova in the opening round of Wimbledon 2025.