Alex Eala’s coach reacts to the star’s first-ever WTA title victory at the Washington Open
Alex Eala’s breakthrough on the WTA Tour was cemented by her first-ever title victory at the Washington Open.
Eala has been knocking on the door at elite level for months, and has claimed two WTA 125 Challenger titles, but she’s finally proved she belongs at the very top of the Tour.
She won the Washington Open in some style too, by dispatching several of the biggest stars on the WTA Tour.
As well as beating Jessica Pegula in the final of the WTA 500 event, Eala also toppled Elina Svitolina, Naomi Osaka, Leylah Fernandez, and Qinwen Zheng in the United States capital.
As a result, the star now sits and world No 20 in the WTA Tour rankings and he could continue to soar on the North American hardcourt swing.
She is defending just 70 ranking points until the end of the US Open, so there is every chance she continue to accumulate points, particularly if she continues the fantastic form she has shown over the summer.
Eala has received huge praise from several big names, including Rafael Nadal, and now the Filipina’s coach, Joan Bosch, has shared a message.
More Alex Eala news
‘Alex Eala could someday be world No 1’, says legendary coach
Rafael Nadal sends message to Alex Eala after Washington Open victory
As reported by Dyan Castillejo on Instagram, Bosch said: “I can tell you that I’m super happy because this was the goal of the year. She could do it, she deserves it.
“She came back from yesterday’s tough match,” he added. “Jessica Pegula was playing amazing. Alex is a very good champion and she deserves this win.”
Bosch and Eala have worked with each other since her days at the Rafael Nadal Academy.
The Spanish coach has worked closely with Nadal at his Academy and he also spent seven years working alongside former world No 1 Carlos Moya. Together they won high-profile events at the Cincinnati Open and the Italian Open.
Elsewhere, Bosch worked with Jaume Munar as a youngster, before he became a stalwart on the ATP Tour.
It’s testament to Bosch’s early work with Munar that he ended up cracking the top 50 of the ATP Tour rankings and reached three finals across singles and doubles.
With Eala, however, he could be set for an even bigger career than he managed alongside Moya and Munar.
The Filipina star has plenty of upsides and the form she has shown over recent months suggest she could become a Grand Slam champion in the near future.
In the last three months alone, Eala has reached the fourth round of Wimbledon, won the Birmingham Open, claimed the Washington Open title, and reached the semi finals of the Berlin Open.
If she continues this form into the US Open, she could be a real dark horse to go all the way at the Flushing Meadows Grand Slam.
