Alex Eala sets sights on ‘long and fruitful career’ after ‘dreams came alive’ in 2025
Not too many tennis fans would have known who Alex Eala was at the start of the 2025 WTA Tour campaign, but as the year draws to a close, many are excited about what’s to come for one of the rising stars of the women’s game.
Aged 19, Eala was at No 147 in the WTA Rankings when the season got underway in January and had limited experience at the top as she was yet to make her Grand Slam debut and featured mostly at ITF and WTA 125K tournaments.
Fast forward 10 months and the Filipina has pulled off a string of firsts with her latest milestone coming during her final event of the year.
Now aged 20, she reached the second round of the Hong Kong Open last week and with the win she broke into the top 50 of the rankings, becoming the first player from the Philippines to notch up the achievement.
As her breakout campaign comes to a close, Eala is excited about what’s to come, writing on Instagram: “My season comes to an end. I have no words to describe what 2025 has brought me.
“My dreams have truly come alive. It’s such a privilege to look back at this year and relive these amazing moments through memory. All that’s happened this season and the emotions that come with it is a love letter to my family, friends, team, every supporter across my journey in tennis, and of course, baby Alex.
“This marks the beginning of what I hope to be a long, happy and fruitful career on tour! Thank you every body, see you in 2026!”
Alex Eala On The Rise
After failing to qualify for the Australian Open, Eala’s big moment in top-level tennis arrived two months later at the Miami Open where she was handed a wildcard entry, making the most of her big opportunity.
The teenager stunned Grand Slam winners Jelena Ostapenko and Madison Keys en route to reach the quarter-final before claiming the biggest win of her career as she defeated world No 2 Iga Swiatek.
Her run was ended by Jessica Pegula in the semi-final, but it was enough to surge up to No 75 in the rankings as she became the first Filipina to crack the top 100.
Eala’s rise helped her to secure a direct entry into the French Open main draw, but she lost in the first round against Emiliana Arango.
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A first-ever WTA Tour final followed at the Eastbourne Open as she again beat Ostapenko during her run before finishing runner-up to Maya Joint and she hit No 56 in the rankings.
The Filipina also made a Wimbledon appearance, losing in the first round, but her first-ever win at a major came at the US Open where she upset 14th seed Clara Tauson to become the first Filipino player to win a main draw match at a Grand Slam in the Open Era.
She lost in the second round, but that paved the way for her to enter the Guadalajara 125 Open and she went all the way, beating Panna Udvardy in the final to win her maiden WTA 125K title.
After three consecutive first-round losses on her Asian swing, Eala reached the second round in Hong Kong when Katie Boulter retired and with it came her big top 50 moment.
She is now guaranteed to be in the main draw for the 2026 Australian Open and, with no points to defend, she has a chance to climb even higher in the rankings.
