Alex Eala Explained

Alex Eala
Fullname:Alexandra Maniego Eala
Itf Name:Alexandra Eala
Birth Date:23 May 2005
Birth Place:Quezon City, Philippines
Height:1.75 m
Turnedpro:March 2020
Plays:Left (two-handed backhand)
Careerprizemoney:US$ 350,005
Singlestitles:5 ITF
Highestsinglesranking:No. 143 (22 July 2024)
Currentsinglesranking:No. 143 (22 July 2024)
Australianopenresult:Q1 (2023, 2024)
Frenchopenresult:Q3 (2024)
Wimbledonresult:Q3 (2024)
Usopenresult:Q3 (2024)
Doublestitles:3 ITF
Highestdoublesranking:No. 208 (22 July 2024)
Currentdoublesranking:No. 208 (22 July 2024)
Updated:22 July 2024

Alexandra Maniego Eala (born May 23, 2005) is a Filipina professional tennis player.[1] She has a career-high singles ranking by the WTA of 143, achieved on 22 July 2024. She is the highest-ranked Filipino female singles player in WTA Tour history, surpassing Maricris Gentz, who peaked at No. 284 on 18 October 1999.[2]

Eala was the No. 2 ranked ITF junior on 6 October 2020.[3] Eala won her first junior singles title at the 2022 US Open, making her the first Filipino player to win a junior Grand Slam singles title.

Personal life

Her mother Rosemarie "Rizza" Maniego-Eala is a 1985 Southeast Asian Games bronze medalist in the 100-meter backstroke and currently serves as the chief financial officer of Globe Telecom. She is the niece of Philippine Sports Commission chairperson and former Philippine Basketball Association commissioner Noli Eala. Her brother, Michael (Miko), plays tennis for the Pennsylvania State University Nittany Lions.[4] She has been a student of the Rafa Nadal Academy in Manacor (Mallorca, Spain), since she was 12 years old.[5]

Career

Juniors

Grand Slam performance - singles:

Grand Slam performance - doubles:

2018

At the age of 12, Eala won the 2018 Les Petit As 14-and-under tournament, beating Linda Nosková in the finals.[6] She made her junior Grand Slam debut at the 2019 US Open.[7] She was named the 2019 Milo Junior Athlete of the Year.[8]

2020: First junior doubles title

Eala won the 2020 Australian girls' doubles event, partnering Priska Madelyn Nugroho. They defeated Živa Falkner and Matilda Mutavdzic in the final.[9]

Eala peaked in the junior rankings at No. 2, after reaching the semifinals at the 2020 French Open girls' singles competition.[10]

2021: Second junior doubles title

Eala paid tribute to her roots on Independence Day following another major triumph, this time on the clay court in Paris. Eala and her Russian partner Oksana Selekhmeteva captured the French Open girls' doubles title Saturday. They were the top seeds in the tournament, won after knocking out Maria Bondarenko of Russia and Amarissa Kiara Tóth of Hungary, 6–0, 7–5, in the final.[11]

2022: First junior Grand Slam singles title

On 11 September, Eala became the first Filipino to win a junior Grand Slam singles championship and the only Filipino with multiple junior Grand Slam titles. She defeated the No. 2 seed, Lucie Havlíčková of the Czech Republic, in the girls' singles final of the US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York.[12]

Professional

2020-2021: First ITF title, top 1000 & WTA debuts

On 4 March 2020, Eala made her debut on the ITF Women's Circuit, as she played in the $15k event at Monastir, Tunisia where she won her first professional match.[13]

In January 2021, she leaped to the top 1000 in the WTA rankings, after winning the title at the first leg of the $15k Manacor event in Spain.[14]

She received a wildcard into the qualifying draw of the Miami Open where she lost to Viktória Kužmová in a three-set battle in the first round.

Eala made her first ITF doubles final at the $25k Platja d'Aro in Spain, playing with Oksana Selekhmeteva. They lost to Lithuania's Justina Mikulskytė and Romanian Oana Georgeta Simion, 3–6, 5–7.[15]

In August 2021, she made her WTA Tour main-draw debut at the 2021 Winners Open in Cluj-Napoca, Romania after receiving a wildcard. In her first match, she defeated Paula Ormaechea in straight sets. In her next match she lost to Mayar Sherif, also in straight sets.

2022-2024: WTA 1000, major and top 200 debuts and first win

She received a wildcard making her WTA 1000 debut in 2022 Miami Open before losing to Madison Brengle in the first round.

In 2023, Eala made her debut in the qualifying draw of the Australian Open but she lost her first qualifying match to Misaki Doi in a tight three-setter. Her next appearance was at the Hua Hin Championship where she beat Han Xinyun and Kristina Dmitruk in straight sets to reach the main draw. In her first-round match, she fell to Tatjana Maria.She received wildcards for the main draw at the 2023 Miami Open[16] and at the 2023 Madrid Open.She entered the top 200 on 28 August 2023 and reached a new career-high ranking of world No. 191 on 18 September 2023.[17] At the Asian Games, she won two bronze medals, one in the women's singles and the second in the mixed doubles with Francis Alcantara.[18]

She received wildcards for the qualifying draw at the 2024 Miami Open, and for the main draw at the Madrid Open.[19] During the 2024 Miami Open, she stunned former world No. 5, Sara Errani, during the first round of qualifying winning in straight sets.[20] However, in the second round of qualifying, she suffered cramps and lost to Emiliana Arango.[21] At the 2024 Mutua Madrid Open, she recorded her first WTA 1000 win over Lesia Tsurenko. She then lost in a tight three-set match against 27th seed Sorana Cirstea.

Eala entered the qualifying rounds of the 2024 French Open where she managed to beat Ma Yexin of China and Taylah Preston of Australia to reach the qualifying competition. During the final round to qualify in the main draw, coincidentally on her 19th birthday, she lost in another tight three-set match to Julia Riera of Argentina. Nonetheless, her run during the 2024 French Open resulted to a new career high ranking in singles, on 27 May 2024, she reached No. 157 in the world.

For the 2024 Wimbledon Championships, she entered the qualifying rounds and reached the final qualifying match where she lost to eventual quarterfinalist Lulu Sun. Her run marked her second final qualifying match for the year after her French Open performance a month earlier.

After the Wimbledon, Eala entered the Open Araba en Femenino, a W100 tournament, where she triumphed in both singles and doubles. She won the title in singles without dropping a set. Indoubles, she and her partner Estelle Cascino, won their second doubles crown. She reached a new career-high ranking in both singles and doubles, at 143 and 208 respectively.

Sponsorships

Performance timeline

Only main-draw results in WTA Tour, Grand Slam tournaments, Fed Cup/Billie Jean King Cup and Olympic Games are included in win–loss records.

Singles

Current through the 2024 Wimbledon Championships.

Tournament2021202220232024
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian OpenAAQ1Q10 / 00–0
French OpenAAAQ30 / 00–0
WimbledonAAAQ30 / 00–0
US OpenAAA0 / 00–0
Win–loss0–00–00–00–00 / 00–0
WTA 1000
Dubai / Qatar OpenAAAA0 / 00–0
Indian Wells OpenAAAA0 / 00–0
Miami OpenQ11R1RQ20 / 20–2
Madrid OpenAQ11R2R1 / 21–2
Italian OpenAAAA0 / 00–0
Canadian OpenAAA0 / 00–0
Cincinnati OpenAAA0 / 00–0
Wuhan OpenNHA0 / 00–0
China OpenNHA0 / 00–0
Career statistics
Tournaments1131Career total: 5
Overall win–loss1–10–10–30 / 51–5
Year-end ranking529219205$64,590

ITF Circuit finals

Singles: 8 (5 titles, 3 runner-ups)

Legend
W100 tournaments (1-0)
W60 tournaments (0–1)
W40 tournaments (0–1)
W25 tournaments (3–1)
W15 tournaments (1–0)
ResultW–LDateTournamentTierSurfaceOpponentScore
Win1–0Jan 2021ITF Manacor, SpainW15Hard Yvonne Cavallé Reimers5–7, 6–1, 6–2
Win2–0Apr 2022ITF Chiang Rai, ThailandW25Hard6–4, 6–2
Loss2–1ITF Madrid Open, SpainW60Hard Marina Bassols Ribera4–6, 5–7
Win3–1Jun 2023ITF Yecla, SpainW25Hard Valentina Ryser6–3, 7–5
Win4–1Aug 2023ITF Roehampton, United KingdomW25Hard Arina Rodionova6–2, 6–3
Loss4–2Aug 2023ITF Aldershot, United KingdomW25Hard Destanee Aiava6–3, 4–6, 1–6
Loss4–3Nov 2023ITF Pétange, LuxembourgW40Hard (i) Océane Dodin1–6, 5–7
Win5–3July 2024Open Araba en Femenino, SpainW100Hard Victoria Jiménez Kasintseva6–4, 6–4

Doubles: 4 (3 titles, 1 runner–up)

Legend
W100 tournaments (1–0)
W60/75 tournaments (1–0)
W50 tournaments (1–0)
W25 tournaments (0–1)
Finals by surface
Hard (3–0)
Clay (0–1)
ResultW–LDateTournamentTierSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Loss0–1May 2021ITF Platja d'Aro, SpainW25Clay Oksana Selekhmeteva Oana Georgeta Simion
Justina Mikulskytė
3–6, 5–7
Win1–1Jan 2024ITF Pune Open, IndiaW50Hard Darja Semeņistaja Naiktha Bains
Fanny Stollár
7–6(8), 6–3
Win2–1Mar 2024Open de Seine-et-Marne, FranceW75Hard (i) Estelle Cascino Maia Lumsden
Jessika Ponchet
7–5, 7–6(4)
Win3–1Jul 2024Open Araba en Femenino, SpainW100Hard Estelle Cascino Lia Karatancheva
Diāna Marcinkēviča
6–3, 2–6, [10–4]

Junior Grand Slam finals

Doubles: 2 (2 titles)

ResultDateTournamentSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Win Hard Priska Madelyn Nugroho Živa Falkner
Matilda Mutavdzic
6–1, 6–2
Win Clay Oksana Selekhmeteva6–0, 7–5

ITF Junior finals

Legend
Grade A
Grade 1
Grade 2
Grade 3
Grade 4
Grade 5

Singles (4–5)

ResultW–LDateTournamentTierSurfaceOpponentScore
Loss0–1Jul 2018ITF Jakarta, IndonesiaG4Hard Priska Madelyn Nugroho2–6, 6–4, 1–6
Win1–1Oct 2018ITF Alicante, SpainG5Clay Jéssica Bouzas Maneiro6–2, 6–3
Win2–1Nov 2018ITF Makati City, PhilippinesG4Clay Dasha Plekhanova6–4, 6–2
Loss2–2Nov 2018ITF Manila, PhilippinesG4Clay Janice Tjen3–6, 6–2, 5–7
Loss2–3Jan 2019ITF New Delhi, IndiaG2Hard Federica Sacco5–7, 3–6
Loss2–4Jan 2019ITF Kolkata, IndiaG2Clay Mai Napatt Nirundorn6–2, 3–6, 2–6
Win3–4Sep 2019ITF Cape Town, South AfricaGAHard Linda Fruhvirtová6–3, 6–3
Loss3–5Oct 2019ITF Osaka, JapanGAHard Diane Parry2–6, 4–6
Win4–5Jul 2021ITF Milan, ItalyGAClay Nikola Bartůňková6–3, 6–3

Doubles (3–2)

ResultW–LDateTournamentTierSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Win1–0Oct 2018ITF Alicante, SpainG5Clay Joelle Lilly Sophie Steur Maria Dzemeshkevich
Lily Hutchings
6–2, 6–2
Loss1–1Jun 2019ITF Offenbach, GermanyG1Clay Annerly Poulos Selena Janicijevic
Carole Monnet
4–6, 2–6
Loss1–2Sep 2019ITF Cape Town, South AfricaG2Hard Elvina Kalieva Weronika Baszak
Matilda Mutavdzic
3–6, 6–4, [3–10]
Win2–2Dec 2019ITF Plantation, United StatesGAClay Evialina Laskevich Jada Bui
Melodie Collard
6–3, 6–7(3), [10–5]
Win3–2Jul 2021ITF Milan, ItalyGAClay Madison Sieg Lucija Ciric Bagaric
Sofia Costoulas
6–4, 4–6, [13–11]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Alexandra Eala | Player Stats & More – WTA Official .
  2. News: Mina . Rosy . Alex Eala reigns at US Open for first major junior girls' singles title . September 11, 2022 . ABS-CBN News . September 11, 2022.
  3. Web site: October 12, 2020. Alexandra Eala. www.itftennis.com.
  4. Web site: Michael Francis Eala Overview.
  5. Web site: Alex Eala. April 11, 2022 .
  6. Web site: Lilov & Eala win at Les Petits As . tenniseurope . January 8, 2020.
  7. News: Filipina Alex Eala makes US Open juniors debut vs tough Aussie. September 1, 2019. Philippine Daily Inquirer.
  8. News: February 22, 2019. Top Juniors Honored. Business Mirror. January 16, 2020.
  9. Web site: Alex Eala wins first juniors Grand Slam title in 2020 Australian Open. October 12, 2020. Rappler. January 31, 2020 . en.
  10. Web site: Alex Eala clinches juniors world No. 2 after French Open romp. October 12, 2020. Rappler. October 12, 2020 . en.
  11. Web site: Alex Eala wins Grand Slam on Independence Day: 'I hope I made my contribution to the country'. June 13, 2021. Inquirer.net. June 12, 2021 . en.
  12. Web site: Alex Eala reigns at US Open for first major junior girls' singles title. September 14, 2022. abs-cbn.com. en.
  13. Web site: Alex Eala to make pro debut in Tunisian tourney . Philstar. March 5, 2020.
  14. Web site: Alex Eala enters top 1000 in Women's Tennis Association World Ranking . msm news. February 4, 2021.
  15. Web site: Alex Eala, partner finish second place at W25 Spain . sports.inquirer.net. May 22, 2021 . May 28, 2021.
  16. Web site: Erika Andreeva, Brenda Fruhvirtova awarded Miami Open wild cards. 14 March 2023 .
  17. Web site: Alex Eala soars to new high in WTA rankings ahead of Asian Games . September 20, 2023 .
  18. News: Ramos . Gerry . Eala, Alcantara win bronze on another slow day for Team Philippines . 30 September 2023 . Sports Interactive Network Philippines . 29 September 2023 . en.
  19. Web site: Madrid 2024: Dates, draws, prize money and everything you need to know. 18 April 2024.
  20. Web site: Alex Eala stuns former world No. 5 in Miami Open qualifiers . March 18, 2024 .
  21. Web site: Eala succumbs to cramps, falls in Miami Open qualifying draw . .