Alex Eala breaks into the Top 50, capping off a spectacular 2025 season

2025 is proving to be a landmark year in the career of Alex Eala. The Filipino player, developed at the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar, has just achieved a new milestone by breaking into the Top 50 of the WTA rankings — the highest position of her still young and promising career.

Trained by Joan Bosh and only 19 years old, Eala climbed one spot in this week’s WTA rankings update and, with 1,143 points, now occupies the world No. 50 position. Eala has become, on her own merit, one of the biggest sensations in world tennis. Her rise in the rankings and her results throughout the season clearly demonstrate it. The Filipino started the year ranked No. 143, but her breakthrough came at the Miami Open, where, as a wildcard entrant, she delivered a sensational performance. She reached the semifinals, defeating top players such as Iga Świątek, Jeļena Ostapenko, and Madison Keys along the way. A walkover against Paula Badosa, who withdrew due to injury, also helped her climb into the Top 75.

View this post on Instagram

Una publicación compartida por Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar (@rafanadalacademy)

Throughout 2025, Eala has won the Guadalajara Open (WTA 125) and finished runner-up at the Eastbourne Open, but her greatest achievement came at the US Open, where she made history by becoming the first Filipino player ever to win a Grand Slam singles match, defeating Denmark’s Clara Tauson in the opening round. Earlier that year, she had already made her Grand Slam main draw debut at Roland Garros 2025.

“My dreams have come true”

Eala reflected on her season in a heartfelt message shared on her social media channels:

“My season has come to an end. I have no words to describe what 2025 has brought me. My dreams have come true. It’s a true privilege to look back and relive these incredible moments through memory. Everything that has happened this season, and all the emotions that came with it, are a love letter to my family, friends, team, everyone who has supported me along my tennis journey, and of course, to little Alex. What I’ve achieved this season marks the beginning of what I hope will be a long, happy, and successful career on the circuit. Thank you all — see you in 2026!”

View this post on Instagram

Una publicación compartida de Alexandra Eala (@alex.eala)

In 2018, Eala arrived in Manacor with her brother Michael to train at the Rafa Nadal Academy, where she has grown as a tennis player, student, and person. In 2020, at just 14 years old, she won the Australian Open Junior doubles title alongside Priska Nugroho, and repeated the feat the following year at Roland Garros Junior. That same year, she captured her first ITF title, fittingly on the courts of the Rafa Nadal Academy.

In 2022, she made history again by becoming the US Open Junior singles champion, the first Filipino ever to achieve that milestone. The following year, in 2023, she added several ITF titles that solidified her reputation as one of the most promising talents in women’s tennis. In 2024, she recorded her first main-draw victory at a WTA 1000 event at the Mutua Madrid Open and claimed her first W100 title in Vitoria-Gasteiz.

Now, with her entry into the Top 50, Alex Eala confirms her remarkable progress and the result of years of hard work, dedication, and development at the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar.