Alexandra Maniego Eala (born May 23, 2005) is a Filipina professional tennis player.[1]She has a career-high singles ranking by the WTA of world No. 157, achieved on 27 May 2024. She is the highest-ranked Filipino female singles player in WTA Tour history, surpassing Maricris Gentz, who peaked at No. 284 on 18 October 1999.[2]
.jpg) Eala in May 2022 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | Alexandra Maniego Eala | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| ITF name | Alexandra Eala | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country (sports) |  Philippines | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 23 May 2005 Quezon City, Philippines | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turned pro | March 2020 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Plays | Left (two-handed backhand) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prize money | US$ 244,111 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Singles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career record | 126–74 (63.0%) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career titles | 4 ITF | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | No. 157 (27 May 2024) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current ranking | No. 162 (24 June 2024) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Grand Slam singles results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | Q1 (2023, 2024) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| French Open | Q3 (2024) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wimbledon | Q3 (2024) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Doubles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career record | 33–27 (55.0%) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career titles | 2 ITF | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | No. 239 (6 May 2024) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current ranking | No. 248 (1 July 2024) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| Last updated on: 30 June 2024. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Eala was the No. 2 ranked ITF junior on October 6, 2020.[3] Eala won her first junior singles title at the 2022 US Open, making her the first Filipino player to win a junior Grand Slam singles title.
Personal life
Her mother Rosemarie "Rizza" Maniego-Eala is a 1985 Southeast Asian Games bronze medalist in the 100-meter backstroke and currently serves as the chief financial officer of Globe Telecom. She is the niece of Philippine Sports Commission chairperson and former Philippine Basketball Association commissioner Noli Eala. Her brother, Michael (Miko), plays tennis for the Pennsylvania State University Nittany Lions.[4]She has been a student of the Rafa Nadal Academy in Manacor (Mallorca, Spain), since she was 12 years old.[5]
Career
Juniors
Grand Slam performance - singles:
- Australian Open: 3R (2020)
- French Open: SF (2020)
- Wimbledon: 2R (2021)
- US Open: W (2022)
Grand Slam performance - doubles:
- Australian Open: W (2020)
- French Open: W (2021)
- Wimbledon: 2R (2021)
- US Open: SF (2021)
2018
At the age of 12, Eala won the 2018 Les Petit As 14-and-under tournament, beating Linda Nosková in the finals.[6] She made her junior Grand Slam debut at the 2019 US Open.[7] She was named the 2019 Milo Junior Athlete of the Year.[8]
2020: First junior doubles title
Eala won the 2020 Australian girls' doubles event, partnering Priska Madelyn Nugroho. They defeated Živa Falkner and Matilda Mutavdzic in the final.[9]
Eala peaked in the junior rankings at No. 2, after reaching the semifinals at the 2020 French Open girls' singles competition.[10]
2021: Second junior doubles title
Eala paid tribute to her roots on Independence Day following another major triumph, this time on the clay court in Paris. Eala and her Russian partner Oksana Selekhmeteva captured the French Open girls' doubles title Saturday. They were the top seeds in the tournament, won after knocking out Maria Bondarenko of Russia and Amarissa Kiara Tóth of Hungary, 6–0, 7–5, in the final.[11]
2022: First junior Grand Slam singles title
On 11 September, Eala became the first Filipino to win a junior Grand Slam singles championship and the only Filipino with multiple junior Grand Slam titles. She defeated the No. 2 seed, Lucie Havlíčková of the Czech Republic, in the girls' singles final of the US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York.[12]
Professional
2020-2021: First ITF title, top 1000 & WTA debuts
On 4 March 2020, Eala made her debut on the ITF Women's Circuit, as she played in the $15k event at Monastir, Tunisia where she won her first professional match.[13]
In January 2021, she leaped to the top 1000 in the WTA rankings, after winning the title at the first leg of the $15k Manacor event in Spain.[14]
She received a wildcard into the qualifying draw of the Miami Open where she lost to Viktória Kužmová in a three-set battle in the first round.
Eala made her first ITF doubles final at the $25k Platja d'Aro in Spain, playing with Oksana Selekhmeteva. They lost to Lithuania's Justina Mikulskytė and Romanian Oana Georgeta Simion, 3–6, 5–7.[15]
In August 2021, she made her WTA Tour main-draw debut at the 2021 Winners Open in Cluj-Napoca, Romania after receiving a wildcard. In her first match, she defeated Paula Ormaechea in straight sets. In the next match, she lost to Mayar Sherif, also in straight sets.
2022-2024: WTA 1000, Major and top 200 debuts and first win
She received a wildcard making her WTA 1000 debut in 2022 Miami Open before losing to Madison Brengle in the first round.
In 2023, Eala made her debut in the qualifying draw of the Australian Open but she lost her first qualifying match to Misaki Doi in a tight three-setter. Her next appearance was at the Hua Hin Championship where she beat Han Xinyun and Kristina Dmitruk in straight sets to reach the main draw. In her first-round match, she fell to Tatjana Maria.She received wildcards for the main draw at the 2023 Miami Open[16] and at the 2023 Madrid Open.She entered the top 200 on 28 August 2023 and reached a new career-high ranking of world No. 191 on 18 September 2023.[17]At the Asian Games, she won two bronze medals, one in the women's singles and the second in the mixed doubles with Francis Alcantara.[18]
She received wildcards for the qualifying draw at the 2024 Miami Open, and for the main draw at the Madrid Open.[19] During the 2024 Miami Open, she stunned former world No. 5, Sara Errani, during the first round of qualifying winning in straight sets.[20] However, in the second round of qualifying, she suffered cramps and lost to Emiliana Arango.[21] At the 2024 Mutua Madrid Open, she recorded her first WTA 1000 win over Lesia Tsurenko. She then lost in a tight three-set match against 27th seed Sorana Cirstea.
Eala entered the qualifying rounds of the 2024 French Open where she managed to beat YeXin Ma of China and Taylah Preston of Australia to reach the qualifying competition. During the final round to qualify in the main draw, coincidentally on her 19th birthday, she lost in another tight three-set match to Julia Riera of Argentina. Nonetheless, her run during the 2024 French Open resulted to a new career high ranking in singles, on 27 May 2024, she reached number 157 in the world.
Performance timeline
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | P# | DNQ | A | Z# | PO | G | S | B | NMS | NTI | P | NH |
Only main-draw results in WTA Tour, Grand Slam tournaments, Fed Cup/Billie Jean King Cup and Olympic Games are included in win–loss records.
Singles
Current after the 2024 Madrid Open.
| Tournament | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | SR | W–L | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam tournaments | |||||||
| Australian Open | A | A | Q1 | Q1 | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – |
| French Open | A | A | A | Q3 | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – |
| Wimbledon | A | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |
| US Open | A | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |
| Win–loss | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – |
| WTA 1000 | |||||||
| Dubai / Qatar Open[a] | A | A | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – |
| Indian Wells Open | A | A | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – |
| Miami Open | Q1 | 1R | 1R | Q2 | 0 / 2 | 0–2 | 0% |
| Madrid Open | A | Q1 | 1R | 2R | 1 / 2 | 1–2 | 33% |
| Italian Open | A | A | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – |
| Canadian Open | A | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |
| Cincinnati Open | A | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |
| Wuhan Open | NH | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | ||
| China Open | NH | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | ||
| Career statistics | |||||||
| Tournaments | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | Career total: 5 | ||
| Overall win–loss | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–3 | 0 / 5 | 1–5 | 33% | |
| Win % | 50% | 0% | 0% | Career total: 33% | |||
| Year-end ranking | 529 | 219 | 205 | $64,590 | |||
ITF Circuit finals
Singles: 7 (4 titles, 3 runner-ups)
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| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | Jan 2021 | ITF Manacor, Spain | W15 | Hard |  Yvonne Cavallé Reimers | 5–7, 6–1, 6–2 |
| Win | 2–0 | Apr 2022 | ITF Chiang Rai, Thailand | W25 | Hard |  Luksika Kumkhum | 6–4, 6–2 |
| Loss | 2–1 | Jun 2022 | ITF Madrid Open, Spain | W60 | Hard | Marina Bassols Ribera | 4–6, 5–7 |
| Win | 3–1 | Jun 2023 | ITF Yecla, Spain | W25 | Hard |  Valentina Ryser | 6–3, 7–5 |
| Win | 4–1 | Aug 2023 | ITF Roehampton, United Kingdom | W25 | Hard |  Arina Rodionova | 6–2, 6–3 |
| Loss | 4–2 | Aug 2023 | ITF Aldershot, United Kingdom | W25 | Hard | Destanee Aiava | 6–3, 4–6, 1–6 |
| Loss | 4–3 | Nov 2023 | ITF Pétange, Luxembourg | W40 | Hard (i) |  Océane Dodin | 1–6, 5–7 |
Doubles: 3 (2 titles, 1 runner–up)
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| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | May 2021 | ITF Platja d'Aro, Spain | W25 | Clay |  Oksana Selekhmeteva |  Oana Georgeta Simion  Justina Mikulskytė | 3–6, 5–7 |
| Win | 1–1 | Jan 2024 | ITF Pune Open, India | W50 | Hard |  Darja Semeņistaja |  Naiktha Bains  Fanny Stollár | 7–6(8), 6–3 |
| Win | 2–1 | Mar 2024 | Open de Seine-et-Marne, France | W75 | Hard (i) | Estelle Cascino | Maia Lumsden Jessika Ponchet | 7–5, 7–6(4) |
Junior Grand Slam finals
Singles: 1 (title)
| Result | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 2022 | US Open | Hard |  Lucie Havlíčková | 6–2, 6–4 |
Doubles: 2 (2 titles)
| Result | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 2020 | Australian Open | Hard |  Priska Madelyn Nugroho |  Živa Falkner Matilda Mutavdzic | 6–1, 6–2 |
| Win | 2021 | French Open | Clay | Oksana Selekhmeteva | Maria Bondarenko Amarissa Kiara Tóth | 6–0, 7–5 |
ITF Junior finals
| Legend |
|---|
| Grade A |
| Grade 1 |
| Grade 2 |
| Grade 3 |
| Grade 4 |
| Grade 5 |
Singles (4–5)
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | Jul 2018 | ITF Jakarta, Indonesia | G4 | Hard | Priska Madelyn Nugroho | 2–6, 6–4, 1–6 |
| Win | 1–1 | Oct 2018 | ITF Alicante, Spain | G5 | Clay | Jéssica Bouzas Maneiro | 6–2, 6–3 |
| Win | 2–1 | Nov 2018 | ITF Makati City, Philippines | G4 | Clay |  Dasha Plekhanova | 6–4, 6–2 |
| Loss | 2–2 | Nov 2018 | ITF Manila, Philippines | G4 | Clay | Janice Tjen | 3–6, 6–2, 5–7 |
| Loss | 2–3 | Jan 2019 | ITF New Delhi, India | G2 | Hard |  Federica Sacco | 5–7, 3–6 |
| Loss | 2–4 | Jan 2019 | ITF Kolkata, India | G2 | Clay | Mai Napatt Nirundorn | 6–2, 3–6, 2–6 |
| Win | 3–4 | Sep 2019 | ITF Cape Town, South Africa | GA | Hard | Linda Fruhvirtová | 6–3, 6–3 |
| Loss | 3–5 | Oct 2019 | ITF Osaka, Japan | GA | Hard | Diane Parry | 2–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 4–5 | Jul 2021 | ITF Milan, Italy | GA | Clay | Nikola Bartůňková | 6–3, 6–3 |
Doubles (3–2)
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | Oct 2018 | ITF Alicante, Spain | G5 | Clay |  Joelle Lilly Sophie Steur | Maria Dzemeshkevich Lily Hutchings | 6–2, 6–2 |
| Loss | 1–1 | Jun 2019 | ITF Offenbach, Germany | G1 | Clay | Annerly Poulos | Selena Janicijevic Carole Monnet | 4–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 1–2 | Sep 2019 | ITF Cape Town, South Africa | G2 | Hard |  Elvina Kalieva |  Weronika Baszak Matilda Mutavdzic | 3–6, 6–4, [3–10] |
| Win | 2–2 | Dec 2019 | ITF Plantation, United States | GA | Clay |  Evialina Laskevich | Jada Bui Melodie Collard | 6–3, 6–7(3), [10–5] |
| Win | 3–2 | Jul 2021 | ITF Milan, Italy | GA | Clay | Madison Sieg |  Lucija Ciric Bagaric  Sofia Costoulas | 6–4, 4–6, [13–11] |
