Alex Eala made history on Monday by becoming the first Filipina to win a WTA Tour-level title at the Mubadala DC Open, rising to a career-high No 20 in the world.
Eala certainly had quite the week in Washington DC as she established herself as a serious threat at the upcoming US Open.
Two years ago, the talented lefty was ranked 147 in the world and was getting ready to compete in the qualifying rounds of the US Open. Today, she is on the list of contenders in New York.
Here is a look at the milestones the 21-year-old Eala has hit so far, and how she clawed her way into the WTA’s top 20.
January 2021 – first professional title
At 15 years of age, Eala clinched the first professional title of her career by lifting the trophy at a W15 ITF event held at her training base, the Rafa Nadal Academy in Manacor, Spain.
Nadal congratulated her on social media at the time, writing: “Congratulations Alex for this important moment in your career. We are all very happy for you! Keep up the good work and attitude!”
August 2021 – first WTA Tour-level main draw victory
At 16, Eala made her WTA Tour-level debut as a wildcard at the 250 event in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Ranked 639 in the world, she beat Argentina’s Paula Ormaechea to become the first Filipina to win a WTA Tour-level match.
September 2022 – US Open junior title
At the US Open in New York, a 17-year-old Eala stormed to the girls’ singles title without dropping a set, and beating the likes of Mirra Andreeva and Victoria Mboko along the way, to become the first Filipino player to win a Grand Slam junior crown. It was the last junior tournament Eala played.
“It's very overwhelming right now. But I think this is a huge step for me personally, as well. I'm super happy to represent my country and do something with a big platform, being able to inspire other younger people,” Eala said after her victory in the final.
April 2024 – first main draw win at a WTA 1000
As a wildcard entry at the Madrid Open, a 170th-ranked Eala notched the first WTA 1000 main draw victory of her career by defeating Lesia Tsurenko, who was ranked 41st in the world at the time. The win was Eala’s first against a top-50 player.
March 2025 – semi-final run at Miami Open
Ranked 140 in the world, a 19-year-old Eala competed at the WTA 1000 in Miami and made a stunning run to the semi-finals, defeating three Grand Slam champions along the way – Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys, and Iga Swiatek – as well as former world No 2 Paula Badosa, before she fell to Pegula in the final four.
That run earned Eala a place in the WTA’s top 100 for the first time – an unprecedented feat by a Filipino player in the Open Era.
June 2025 – first WTA Tour-level final
Winning six matches in a row through qualifying and the main draw, Eala reached her first WTA Tour-level final on grass in Eastbourne before losing in a deciding-set tiebreak to Australia’s Maya Joint.
August 2025 – first major main draw win
After making her Grand Slam debut at Roland Garros in May, Eala became the first Filipino player to win a match in a major tournament in the Open Era when she defeated 14th-seeded Clara Tauson in the US Open first round.
November 2025 – top-50 debut
On the heels of her milestone win in New York, Eala claimed her biggest title yet by securing the WTA 125 in Guadalajara – a tournament at a level just under the WTA Tour – in September. She finished the 2025 season ranked 50 in the world – another first by a player from the Philippines.
March 2026 – top-30 entry
After reaching the quarter-finals at the WTA 500 in Abu Dhabi and the WTA 1000 in Dubai, followed by a fourth-round appearance at Indian Wells, Eala hit a new ranking milestone by cracking the top 30 for the first time.
July 2026 – first Grand Slam second week at Wimbledon
Having lost in the first round in four of her first five major appearances, Eala finally made her mark on the Grand Slam stage by ending the title defence of Swiatek to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon. The 21-year-old Eala reached the second week of a major for the first time to wrap up a strong grass campaign in style. She amassed a 12-4 record overall on grass this season, including a WTA 125 title run in Birmingham and a semi-final showing in Berlin.
“There are so many positives. Well, one I think is how I've handled pressure. I mean, there's pressure every week, right? Of course, the more you want to win, I think the more pressure goes along with that. I'm happy with how I faced it head on. I think I kept cool when I needed to control my emotions,” she said after losing to Jasmine Paolini in the Wimbledon fourth round.
August 2026 – first WTA Tour-level title and top-20 debut
Navigating a brutal draw that saw her defeat Olympic gold medallist Zheng Qinwen, defending champion and 2021 US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez, world No 10 Elina Svitolina, four-time major winner Naomi Osaka, and world No 3 Jessica Pegula, Eala clinched the first tour-level title of her career at the WTA 500 tournament in Washington DC.
She became the first Filipina to win a WTA title and earned herself a place in the world’s top 20 for the first time.
Eala has won her last five encounters with top-10-ranked opponents – all of which have come in the last two months.
“Eala is not doing much to quiet Eala-mania,” said Andy Roddick on his podcast Served.
“Eala is the real deal. She is not scared to play the big players. Right back off of a good Wimbledon result, straight back into it, I thought she was fantastic. And going through that draw, at a not 1000 or not slam … beating Jess on a hard court in the US? She’s now in the consistency game where we kind of expect her to be pretty good all the time.”
