Alex Eala is quickly becoming one of the most exciting names in women’s tennis, and according to seven-time Grand Slam champion Mats Wilander, the teenage sensation has all the makings of a future star. Her performance at the Miami Open didn’t just capture headlines—it sent a strong message to the tennis elite: there’s a new force on the rise.
Coming into the tournament ranked No. 140, Eala’s wildcard entry into the WTA 1000 event looked like a gamble on paper. But on court, she flipped the script in style. In a breathtaking run, the 19-year-old toppled not one, not two, but three Grand Slam champions—2017 French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko, reigning Australian Open champ Madison Keys, and the five-time major titleholder Iga Swiatek. By the time she reached the semi-finals—where her campaign was halted by Jessica Pegula—Eala had already carved her name into the history books as the first Filipina ever to advance this deep in a WTA Tour tournament.
The dream run also propelled her up the WTA ladder, shooting her up 65 places into the top 100. She now sits at No. 75—an enormous leap that signals the arrival of a player who isn’t here just to compete but to contend.
What makes Eala such a compelling talent, according to Wilander, isn’t just her results—it’s the artistry in her game. While speaking to TNT Sports, he painted a vivid picture of a player whose style sets her apart.
“With Alexandra Eala, we’re talking about someone who has hands given by God,” Wilander said. “She understands the game as good as any player on tour. She reminds me of Marcelo Rios, where the talent is just boiling out of the fingers and boiling out of her hand, and she can do anything. And then the reason I say Marcelo Rios is, of course, she’s left-handed.”
That lefty magic, combined with her ability to produce seemingly impossible angles and unpredictable patterns, makes Eala’s tennis feel, as Wilander puts it, mystical. In a women’s circuit largely dominated by power hitters like Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, Eala brings something different—an X-factor, a touch of finesse that disrupts rhythm and forces even the top players out of their comfort zones.
“In the women’s game, that is so cool that we have someone that comes out that does all these things that maybe [Aryna] Sabalenka and Swiatek are not great at doing. They’re great at other things,” he said.
“But suddenly, we have a player that can play tennis that is mystical to the rest of us. Like, ‘Oh, my God, how do you do that? How do you understand tennis? How do you hit those shots?’
“The feel, the understanding, I love it. It’s basically what John McEnroe did to us in the 1980s.”
Even Swiatek, following her shock defeat, acknowledged how disarmed she was by Eala’s approach. Her tactical variety and aggressive instincts left the world No. 2 visibly unsettled.
“I didn’t know she’s going to play that flat, but besides that, well, she was really aggressive, you know, and she kept her focus. And, like, I don’t know, some of these shots were pretty like out of nowhere,” Swiatek admitted.
“But still, you know, I could see clearly she has intentions to go forward and to push. So it worked for her today, for sure.”
Eala’s tennis roots trace back to the Rafa Nadal Academy in Manacor, where she began training during her early teens. That experience, paired with her raw talent, helped shape the champion mindset she now carries. Her 2022 US Open Girls’ title and five ITF singles crowns reflect a winning mentality forged from a young age.
What she hasn’t done yet is appear in the main draw of a Grand Slam—but that milestone seems well within reach now.
Wilander, for one, believes the journey is only just beginning for the Filipina phenom.
“To me, Eala is such a breath of fresh air and I don’t think that she’s going to go away, she’s too smart, her talent is too good, she’s too gifted,” he said.
“She learned how to win when she was 12, so that’s not a problem. We’re going to love watching her develop into a great player, because I do think that she’s going to become one.”
With her uncanny court sense, divine shot-making, and nerves of steel, Eala isn’t just knocking on the door—she’s charging through it. And if this Miami Open run is any indication, women’s tennis could be entering a new era—led by a left-handed prodigy from the Philippines.