Alex Eala took her game to the next level with a tremendous season in 2025, marked by blockbuster wins over higher-ranked opponents and a meteoric rise in the WTA rankings.
From sensational Miami Open run to her first-ever WTA 125 title, Eala’s 2025 was nothing short of historic.
As she wraps up her season after a weeks-long Asian swing, One Sports takes a look at the biggest moments of her 2025 campaign to celebrate the wins and drum up excitement for the rest of Eala’s young career.
Early 2025: Signs of brilliance
Eala had a busy New Year heading into 2025, as she got to work early at the Workday Canberra International, a WTA 125 tournament, as a qualifier.
Ranked 147th in the world heading into the tiff, the then-19-year-old had to go through two wild card qualifiers to even get to the main draw, this included a three-set marathon against Aussie bet Alana Subasic in the second round of qualifying.
But Eala powered through to the main draw, starting out her year on a five-match win streak.
Eala ended her first tournament in the semifinals, falling against China’s Sijia Wei, 7-5, 6-2.
March 2025: Miracle(s) in Miami
After her promising start in Caberra, Eala had a bit of a slump with a string of early exits in her next few tournaments.
But it all came together in Miami, where she was given a wild card entry for the WTA 1000 joust.
It was in Miami where the Filipina really hit her stride for the 2025 season, plowing through a series of Grand Slam champions in blockbuster set of matches that caught the eye of every tennis fan that didn’t know the name Alex Eala.
The Miami Open run included wins over Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys, and most notably, then-world no. 2 Iga Swiatek in straight sets fashion. She also enjoyed a walkover victory over then-world no. 10 Paula Badosa.
Eala then gave eventual runner-up Jessica Pegula a scare in the semifinals, dragging her to a three-set battle, 6-7(3), 7-5, 3-6.
The miraculous run netted Alex overnight fame and also catapulted her into the top 75 of the WTA rankings, after previously ranking world no. 140 heading into the tournament.
She also netted more than Php 19,000,000 in prize money, a hefty payday for the career-defining run.
May 2025: First Grand Slam appearance
Thanks to her tremendous showing in Miami, Eala’s horizons widened — particularly when it came to the tournaments she was playing.
After Grand Slam main draw appearances previously evaded her, including a near miss at the 2024 US Open, Eala was finally given a shot at the main draw of the French Open where she faced Emiliana Arango in the Round of 128.
Despite recovering from an opening set loss, Eala couldn’t eke out the win and fell in three sets, 0-6, 6-2, 3-6.
June 2025: Grass gets greener in Eastbourne
In the build-up to Wimbledon, Eala marked another milestone in her career when she reached her first-ever WTA final.
After coming into the Eastbourne Open as a qualifier, Eala dazzled on the grass, first hurdling top-seeded qualifier American Hailey Baptiste to get herself into the main draw of the WTA 250 tournament in Great Britain.
She also emerged victorious in a rematch against Ostapenko, as the then-world no. 20 retired in the middle of their third set due to injury.
In the semifinals, she battled fellow qualifier Varvara Gracheva in three sets, 7-5, 2-6, 6-3.
Then in the Finals, she was painstakingly close to netting her first WTA title, reaching multiple match points before falling to Maya Joint in a heart-stopping affair, 4-6, 6-1, 6(10)-7.
Though suffering a stinging loss, it was another hefty payday for Eala as the tournament netted her more than Php 1,700,000 in prize money.
Not long after, Eala also made her Center Court debut at Wimbledon where she gave defending champion Barbora Krejcikova a run for her money before falling in three sets in the first round, 6-3, 2-6, 1-6.
August 2025: Where Dreams Are Made
Third time was the charm for Eala when it came to her Grand Slam main draw appearances, finally getting her first win at Flushing Meadows for the US Open.
The first Filipino to win a Grand Slam main draw match in the Open era, Eala emerged victorious in comeback fashion against Clara Tauson.
Staging a third-set rally from 1-5 down, Eala eventually won via tiebreak, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(11).
Even as Eala fell against the lower-ranked Cristina Bucsa in the next round, it was still a career milestone for Eala, who was finally able to get over the hump and win her first main draw singles match in the season's last Grand Slam.
September 2025: On the Board
Coming off of a historic run at the US Open, Eala was in the mood for a little more history.
Heading into the WTA 125 event in Guadalajara to start September, Eala plowed through her competition as the second seed in the tournament.
Going up against a lower-ranked opponent in the finale against then-ranked no. 134 Panna Udvardy, world no. 75 Eala nabbed her first-ever title WTA 125 title.
In another sensational comeback, Eala beat Udvardy in three sets, 1-6, 7-5, 6-3.
2026: To be continued…
Despite hitting a rough patch to the latter half of her season-ending Asian swing, Eala made steady strides in the WTA rankings.
Eala first hit world no. 54 in early October, which surpassed her initial career-high of no. 56 after her Wimbledon appearance.
She then finally hit world no. 50, following her season-ending performance at the Hong Kong Open where she made the round of 16, losing the eventual winner Victoria Mboko in three sets.
It's a significant jump for the Filipinina star, who ended 2024 as world no. 158. All in all, Eala's breakthrough season saw her compile a record of 40-26, with around P53.3 million ($907,777) in prize money.
To close out 2025, Eala is also expected to compete for Team Philippines at the Southeast Asian Games.
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Luisa Morales is a sports writer with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.
Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team, and mixed martial arts.