Alex Eala

In this Philippine name, the middle name or maternal family name is Maniego and the surname or paternal family name is Eala.

Alexandra Maniego Eala (born May 23, 2005) is a Filipina professional tennis player.^[1]

Alex Eala

Eala in May 2022
Full name	Alexandra Maniego Eala
ITF name	Alexandra Eala
Country (sports)	Philippines
Born	(2005-05-23) May 23, 2005 (age 18) Quezon City, Philippines
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Turned pro	March 2020
Plays	Left (two-handed backhand)
Prize money	US$210,872
Singles
Career record	125–70 (64.1%)
Career titles	4 ITF
Highest ranking	No. 171 (18 March 2024)
Current ranking	No. 172 (1 April 2024)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	Q1 (2023, 2024)
Doubles
Career record	29–26 (52.7%)
Career titles	2 ITF
Highest ranking	No. 245 (1 April 2024)
Current ranking	No. 245 (1 April 2024)
Medal record Women's tennis Representing the  Philippines Asian Games 2022 Hangzhou Singles 2022 Hangzhou Mixed doubles Southeast Asian Games 2021 Vietnam Singles 2021 Vietnam Mixed doubles 2021 Vietnam Team
Last updated on: 1 April 2024.

Eala was the No. 2-ranked ITF junior on October 6, 2020.^[2] She has a career-high singles ranking by the WTA of world No. 171, achieved on 18 March 2024. Eala is the highest-ranked Filipino female singles player in WTA Tour history, surpassing Maricris Gentz, who peaked at No. 284 on 18 October 1999.^[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]

Junior career

Grand Slam performance - singles:

• Australian Open: 3R (2020)
• French Open: SF (2020)
• Wimbledon: 2R (2021)
• US Open: W (2022)

Grand Slam performance - doubles:

• Australian Open: W (2020)
• French Open: W (2021)
• Wimbledon: 2R (2021)
• US Open: SF (2021)

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 September 11, 2022, 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 Havlickova 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 career

2020: Professional career debut

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

2021: First ITF senior title, top 1000 & WTA debuts

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 in January 2021.^[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 Mikulskyte and Romanian Oana Georgeta Simion, 3–6, 5–7.^[15]

In August, 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 the next match, she lost to Mayar Sherif, in straight sets.

2022-2024: WTA 1000, Grand Slam and top 200 debuts

She received a wildcard making her WTA 1000 debut in Miami. She lost to Madison Brengle in the first round in straight sets.

Eala made her debut in the qualifying draw of the Australian Open; she lost her first 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 a wildcard for the main draw at the 2023 Miami Open.^[16]

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 a wildcard for the qualifying draw at the 2024 Miami Open.

Performance timeline

Key

W

F

SF

QF

#R

RR

Q#

P#

DNQ

A

Z#

PO

G

S

B

NMS

NTI

P

NH

(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (P#) preliminary round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (Z#) Davis/Fed Cup Zonal Group (with number indication) or (PO) play-off; (G) gold, (S) silver or (B) bronze Olympic/Paralympic medal; (NMS) not a Masters tournament; (NTI) not a Tier I tournament; (P) postponed; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.

To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.

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 after the 2023 Madrid Open.

Tournament	2021	2022	2023	2024	SR	W–L	Win %
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open	A	A	Q1	Q1	0 / 0	0–0	–
French Open	A	A	A		0 / 0	0–0	–
Wimbledon	A	A	A		0 / 0	0–0	–
US Open	A	A	A		0 / 0	0–0	–
Win–loss	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0 / 0	0–0	–
WTA 1000
Dubai / Qatar Open^[a]	A	A	A	A	0 / 0	0–0	–
Indian Wells Open	A	A	A	A	0 / 0	0–0	–
Miami Open	Q1	1R	1R	Q2	0 / 2	0–2	0%
Madrid Open	A	Q1	1R		0 / 1	0–1	–
Italian Open	A	A	A		0 / 0	0–0	–
Canadian Open	A	A	A		0 / 0	0–0	–
Cincinnati Open	A	A	A		0 / 0	0–0	–
Wuhan Open	NH		A		0 / 0	0–0	–
China Open	NH		A		0 / 0	0–0	–
Career statistics
Tournaments	1	1	3	1	Career total: 5
Overall win–loss	1–1	0–1	0–3		0 / 5	1–5	33%
Win %	50%	0%	0%		Career total: 33%
Year-end ranking	529	219	205		$64,590

ITF Circuit finals

Singles: 7 (4 titles, 3 runner-ups)

Legend W60 tournaments (0–1) W40 tournaments (0–1) W25 tournaments (3–1) W15 tournaments (1–0)

Finals by surface Hard (4–3)

Result	W–L	Date	Tournament	Tier	Surface	Opponent	Score
Win	1–0	Jan 2021	ITF Manacor, Spain	W15	Hard	Yvonne Cavallé Reimers	5–7, 6–1, 6–2
Win	2–0	Apr 2022	ITF Chiang Rai, Thailand	W25	Hard	Luksika Kumkhum	6–4, 6–2
Loss	2–1	Jun 2022	ITF Madrid, Spain	W60	Hard	Marina Bassols Ribera	4–6, 5–7
Win	3–1	Jun 2023	ITF Yecla, Spain	W25	Hard	Valentina Ryser	6–3, 7–5
Win	4–1	Aug 2023	ITF Roehampton, United Kingdom	W25	Hard	Arina Rodionova	6–2, 6–3
Loss	4–2	Aug 2023	ITF Aldershot, United Kingdom	W25	Hard	Destanee Aiava	6–3, 4–6, 1–6
Loss	4–3	Nov 2023	ITF Pétange, Luxembourg	W40	Hard (i)	Océane Dodin	1–6, 5–7

Doubles: 3 (2 titles, 1 runner–up)

Legend W60/75 tournaments (1–0) W50 tournaments (1–0) W25 tournaments (0–1)

Finals by surface Hard (2–0) Clay (0–1)

Result	W–L	Date	Tournament	Tier	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	0–1	May 2021	ITF Platja d'Aro, Spain	W25	Clay	Oksana Selekhmeteva	Oana Georgeta Simion   Justina Mikulskytė	3–6, 5–7
Win	1–1	Jan 2024	ITF Pune, India	W50	Hard	Darja Semeņistaja	Naiktha Bains   Fanny Stollár	7–6^(8), 6–3
Win	2–1	Mar 2024	ITF Croissy-Beaubourg, France	W75	Hard (i)	Estelle Cascino	Maia Lumsden   Jessika Ponchet	7–5, 7–6^(4)

Junior Grand Slam finals

Singles: 1 (title)

Result	Date	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
Win	2022	US Open	Hard	Lucie Havlíčková	6–2, 6–4

Doubles: 2 (2 titles)

Result	Date	Tournament	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Win	2020	Australian Open	Hard	Priska Madelyn Nugroho	Živa Falkner   Matilda Mutavdzic	6–1, 6–2
Win	2021	French Open	Clay	Oksana Selekhmeteva	Maria Bondarenko   Amarissa Kiara Tóth	6–0, 7–5

ITF Junior finals

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

Singles 9 (4 titles, 5 runner-ups)

Result	W–L	Date	Tournament	Tier	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	0–1	Jul 2018	ITF Jakarta, Indonesia	G4	Hard	Priska Madelyn Nugroho	2–6, 6–4, 1–6
Win	1–1	Oct 2018	ITF Alicante, Spain	G5	Clay	Jéssica Bouzas Maneiro	6–2, 6–3
Win	2–1	Nov 2018	ITF Makati City, Philippines	G4	Clay	Dasha Plekhanova	6–4, 6–2
Loss	2–2	Nov 2018	ITF Manila, Philippines	G4	Clay	Janice Tjen	3–6, 6–2, 5–7
Loss	2–3	Jan 2019	ITF New Delhi, India	G2	Hard	Federica Sacco	5–7, 3–6
Loss	2–4	Jan 2019	ITF Kolkata, India	G2	Clay	Mai Napatt Nirundorn	6–2, 3–6, 2–6
Win	3–4	Sep 2019	ITF Cape Town, South Africa	GA	Hard	Linda Fruhvirtová	6–3, 6–3
Loss	3–5	Oct 2019	ITF Osaka, Japan	GA	Hard	Diane Parry	2–6, 4–6
Win	4–5	Jul 2021	ITF Milan, Italy	GA	Clay	Nikola Bartůňková	6–3, 6–3

Doubles 5 (3 titles, 2 runner-ups)

Result	W–L	Date	Tournament	Tier	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Win	1–0	Oct 2018	ITF Alicante, Spain	G5	Clay	Joelle Lilly Sophie Steur	Maria Dzemeshkevich   Lily Hutchings	6–2, 6–2
Loss	1–1	Jun 2019	ITF Offenbach, Germany	G1	Clay	Annerly Poulos	Selena Janicijevic   Carole Monnet	4–6, 2–6
Loss	1–2	Sep 2019	ITF Cape Town, South Africa	G2	Hard	Elvina Kalieva	Weronika Baszak   Matilda Mutavdzic	3–6, 6–4, [3–10]
Win	2–2	Dec 2019	ITF Plantation, United States	GA	Clay	Evialina Laskevich	Jada Bui   Melodie Collard	6–3, 6–7^(3), [10–5]
Win	3–2	Jul 2021	ITF Milan, Italy	GA	Clay	Madison Sieg	Lucija Ciric Bagaric   Sofia Costoulas	6–4, 4–6, [13–11]

Notes

1. The first Premier 5 event of the year has switched back and forth between the Dubai Tennis Championships and the Qatar Open since 2009. Dubai was classified as a Premier 5 event from 2009 to 2011 before being succeeded by Doha for the 2012–2014 period. In 2015, Dubai regained its Premier 5 status while Doha was demoted to Premier status. The Premier 5 tournaments were reclassified as WTA 1000 tournaments in 2021.

References

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

External links

• Alexandra Eala at the Women's Tennis Association
• Alexandra Eala at the International Tennis Federation

Sporting positions
Preceded by   Adrienn Nagy /   Park So-hyun	Orange Bowl Girls' Doubles Champion 2019 With:   Evialina Laskevich	Succeeded by   Reese Brantmeier /   Kimmi Hance