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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.
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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.

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