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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Alex Eala red-hot in green

Alex Eala red-hot in green

Published Aug 2, 2026 12:58 pm  |  Updated Aug 2, 2026 02:03 pm

At A Glance

  • Green may be the color of calm, but at the Mubadala DC Open, it has become the color of a storm — and Alex Eala is right at the center of it.

Green may be the color of calm, but at the Mubadala DC Open, it has become the color of a storm — and Alex Eala is right at the center of it.

The Filipina tennis sensation isn’t standing out only because of her light green outfit. More importantly, it’s because of the string of impressive victories that have carried her all the way to the finals of the WTA 500 tournament.

She was wearing green, but if anything, Eala was red-hot.

The 21-year-old Filipina opened her campaign with a 4-6, 6-4-,6-1 win over Paris Olympics gold medalist Qinwen Zheng and then took out defending champion Leylah Fernandez with a 6-2, 7-6(1) victory.

She defeated world No.10 Elena Svitolina, 6-3,6-4, to add another high-ranking player to her growing list of victims before shooting down Japanese star and former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka, 6-4, 6-2.

And while she’s showing a great amount of poise and confidence, both on the court and answering post-game questions, Eala was fearless and relentless at the same time.

And perhaps, there was a reason why the fiery nature of her game and the coolness of her outfit felt strikingly familiar.

A social media post drew comparisons between Eala and her idol Rafael Nadal, who also sported an all-green ensemble during the American swing in 2015. 

During Nadal’s Miami Open run in 2004, he was also wearing a maroon kit, pretty much similar with the maroon color Eala had during her breakthrough run in the Miami Open in 2025.

Nadal had his breakthrough in maroon. Eala had hers too. Nadal had his moments in green. And Eala is enjoying hers now.

Coincidence? Maybe. Or maybe not. Either way, green seems to look pretty good on Eala.

Related Tags

Alex Eala Rafael Nadal Mubadala DC Open Naomi Osaka
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