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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Rafa Nadal praises Alex Eala after historic WTA final finish in Eastbourne

Rafa Nadal praises Alex Eala after historic WTA final finish in Eastbourne

Published Jun 29, 2025 01:04 pm

At A Glance

  • Alex Eala received one of the biggest pats on the back from none other than tennis legend Rafael Nadal following her runner-up finish at the Lexus Eastbourne Open in Great Britain last Saturday, June 28.
Alexandra Eala of the Philippines with the runners up trophy after the Women's singles Final during day six of the Eastbourne Open at Devonshire Park Lawn Tennis Club, Eastbourne, England, Saturday June 28, 2025. (Adam Davy/PA via AP)
Alexandra Eala of the Philippines with the runners up trophy after the Women's singles Final during day six of the Eastbourne Open at Devonshire Park Lawn Tennis Club, Eastbourne, England, Saturday June 28, 2025. (Adam Davy/PA via AP)
Alex Eala received one of the biggest pats on the back from none other than tennis legend Rafael Nadal following her runner-up finish at the Lexus Eastbourne Open in Great Britain last Saturday, June 28.
“The first of many finals, @AlexEala05!” wrote the retired former world No. 1 and 22-time Grand Slam champion on X (formerly Twitter). The post was accompanied by a video of Eala’s emotional post-match speech at center court.
Before that message, the 39-year-old Spaniard had already praised Eala’s milestone achievement—becoming the first Filipina to reach a Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Tour final.
Eala is a proud alumna of the Rafa Nadal Academy (RNA) in Mallorca, Spain, where her current coaches are also based.
The 20-year-old rising star is now looking to regroup and quickly return to the drawing board as she prepares for the 2025 Wimbledon Championships this week. She came heartbreakingly close to capturing her maiden WTA Tour title but fell just short in a thrilling final against Australia’s Maya Joint, losing 4-6, 6-1, 6-7 (10).
“It’s only the first, so I’ll definitely work hard to do more,” said an emotional Eala in her post-match interview.
“Wimbledon is next week, so hopefully I’ll forget about this match soon,” she added with a light laugh.
Eala is expected to bring the experience and lessons from this breakthrough performance into her Wimbledon campaign.
She’ll need all of it, as she is set to face a tough opening-round opponent in defending champion Barbora Krejcikova on Tuesday, July 1 (Philippine time).
Krejcikova, from the Czech Republic, is a former world No. 1 in women’s doubles and the 2021 French Open singles champion. She is also a multiple Grand Slam winner in both women’s and mixed doubles.
For Eala, this will mark only her second main-draw appearance at a Grand Slam. Last year, she narrowly missed a spot in the Wimbledon main draw after losing in the third round of qualifying to New Zealand’s Lulu Sun.
Much has changed since then. Eala has broken into the WTA Top 60, reaching a career-high No. 56 following her impressive run in Eastbourne.
“It’s been a crazy year. I’ll remember this week,” said Eala, who also showed grace in defeat.
“I want to congratulate Maya for a great match and a great tournament. I think you did really well, and if I was to lose to anyone this week, it would definitely be to you,” she added.
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