Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Celebrities

Meet Alexandra Eala, the first Filipina to reach Wimbledon’s main draw: born into a sports-loving family, she studied at Rafa Nadal Academy – and used to date Hong Kong tennis star Coleman Wong

STORYHyewon Lee
Meet Alexandra Eala, the first Filipina to reach Wimbledon’s main draw. Photo: EPA
Meet Alexandra Eala, the first Filipina to reach Wimbledon’s main draw. Photo: EPA
Fame and celebrity

The tennis star has gone head to head against greats Iga Świątek and Varvara Gracheva in high-stakes solo matches, but she also loves a game with No 1 doubles player Coco Gauff

Alexandra Eala has a remarkable list of “firsts” at just 20 years old – among them, becoming the first Filipino woman to reach the main draw of Wimbledon in the Open era. Last week, Eala stepped onto the Centre Court for a first-round clash against former Grand Slam champion Barbora Krejčíková.
Czech Republic’s Barbora Krejčíková (right) shakes hands with the Philippines’ Alexandra Eala after winning their women’s singles first-round tennis match at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships, on July 1. Photo: Agence France-Presse
Czech Republic’s Barbora Krejčíková (right) shakes hands with the Philippines’ Alexandra Eala after winning their women’s singles first-round tennis match at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships, on July 1. Photo: Agence France-Presse
Wearing Nike’s custom-made gift – a hair tie featuring a sampaguita, the Philippines’ national flower – Eala claimed the opening set 6-3, but the Czech player rallied to win the next two sets 6-2 and 6-1. Despite the loss, Eala’s achievement was meaningful not just to her but to the Philippines’ tennis landscape.
Advertisement
The sampaguita is the national flower of Alexandra Eala’s country, the Philippines. Nike enclosed the hair tie in a tennis court-themed box with a personalised note. Photo: @alex.eala/Instagram
The sampaguita is the national flower of Alexandra Eala’s country, the Philippines. Nike enclosed the hair tie in a tennis court-themed box with a personalised note. Photo: @alex.eala/Instagram

Just before making her Wimbledon debut, Eala achieved a career-high singles ranking of No 56 after a runner-up finish at the Lexus Eastbourne Open. In the semi-finals, she defeated French player Varvara Gracheva in a thrilling match that lasted over two hours.

The Philippines’ Alexandra Eala (pictured) celebrates after beating France’s Varvara Gracheva in their women’s singles semi-final tennis match at the Lexus Eastbourne International tennis tournament in June. Photo: Agence France-Presse
The Philippines’ Alexandra Eala (pictured) celebrates after beating France’s Varvara Gracheva in their women’s singles semi-final tennis match at the Lexus Eastbourne International tennis tournament in June. Photo: Agence France-Presse
Eala is the country’s first tennis player to win a junior grand slam singles title, having triumphed in the 2022 US Open. She is also the first to rank in the world’s top 100 and to reach the semi-finals of a WTA 1000 tournament – defeating the Australian Open champion Madison Keys and world No 4 Iga Świątek at the 2025 Miami Open.

Here’s what else to know about Eala beyond her career breakthroughs.

She is a Rafa Nadal Academy graduate

Alexandra Eala graduated from the Rafa Nadal Academy in 2023. Her diploma was handed to her by Nadal himself, and Iga Świątek delivered a graduation speech. Photo: @rafanadalacademy/Instagram
Alexandra Eala graduated from the Rafa Nadal Academy in 2023. Her diploma was handed to her by Nadal himself, and Iga Świątek delivered a graduation speech. Photo: @rafanadalacademy/Instagram

When Eala was 13, she made a bold decision to move to Manacor, Spain, to train at the prestigious Rafa Nadal Academy.

Select Voice
Select Speed
1.00x