Three years ago Iga Swiatek, then the world number one and a three-time French Open champion, presented a graduation certificate to 18-year-old Alexandra Eala of the Philippines at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca. On Saturday the same player defeated Swiatek, now the defending Wimbledon champion, 7-6 6-2 in the third round on Centre Court.
Eala grew up in Quezon City and first trained on a basketball court converted into a tennis surface because proper grass courts were unavailable. Her mother Rizza Maniego-Eala won a Southeast Asian Games bronze medal in swimming, her brother Miko played college tennis, and her late grandfather Roberto was her initial coach.
At 13 she won a tournament in France and moved to Mallorca with her brother to train full-time at the academy. There she developed into one of the sport’s emerging talents. She balanced studies with recovery work, technical drills and matches, focusing on incremental improvement rather than distant goals.
A veteran coach at the academy later accompanied her on tour, providing mental preparation drawn from years of elite experience. Although she captured the 2022 US Open junior title, her first significant senior breakthrough occurred at the 2025 Miami Open. Ranked 140 and entering as a wildcard, the 19-year-old reached the semifinals, beating several Grand Slam winners.
She followed that result by reaching her first WTA final at Eastbourne and winning a WTA 125 title in Guadalajara, entering the top 50 and earning a nomination for newcomer of the year. In 2026 she became the first Filipino player seeded at a Grand Slam, reaching the Berlin Open semifinals and earning the 29th seed at Wimbledon.
Her straight-sets victory over Swiatek made her the first Filipino in the Open Era to reach the fourth round of a major. She will next face Jasmine Paolini on July 6.
