Meet Alexandra Eala, the first Filipina to reach Wimbledon’s main draw: born into a sports-loving family, she studied at Rafa Nadal Academy – and used to date Hong Kong tennis star Coleman Wong

Alexandra Eala has a remarkable list of “firsts” at just 20 years old – among them, becoming the first Filipino woman to reach the main draw of Wimbledon in the Open era. Last week, Eala stepped onto the Centre Court for a first-round clash against former Grand Slam champion Barbora Krejčíková. Wearing Nike’s custom-made gift – a hair tie featuring a sampaguita, the Philippines’ national flower – Eala claimed the opening set 6-3, but the Czech player rallied to win the next two sets 6-2 and 6-1. Despite the loss, Eala’s achievement was meaningful not just to her but to the Philippines’ tennis landscape. Just before making her Wimbledon debut, Eala achieved a career-high singles ranking of No 56 after a runner-up finish at the Lexus Eastbourne Open. In the semi-finals, she defeated French player Varvara Gracheva in a thrilling match that lasted over two hours. Eala is the country’s first tennis player to win a junior grand slam singles title, having triumphed in the 2022 US Open. She is also the first to rank in the world’s top 100 and to reach the semi-finals of a WTA 1000 tournament – defeating the Australian Open champion Madison Keys and world No 4 Iga Świątek at the 2025 Miami Open. Here’s what else to know about Eala beyond her career breakthroughs. She is a Rafa Nadal Academy graduate When Eala was 13, she made a bold decision to move to Manacor, Spain, to train at the prestigious Rafa Nadal Academy. “The academy has been my home for the past seven years,” Eala said, per the United States Tennis Association. “Of course, my family should take credit for the foundation that they laid out before they sent me there. But of course, the academy was able to build on that foundation in such a way that I’m able to be where I am now.” In 2023, Eala received her diploma from Rafael Nadal and was delighted to see Świątek as her graduation speaker, not knowing at the time that in less than two years she would beat the former world No 1 player in the quarter-finals of the Miami Open. She slid into Coco Gauff’s DMs Coco Gauff, world No 2 for singles and No 1 for doubles, teamed up with Eala for the 2025 Italian Open women’s doubles. The pair, playing together for the first time, made an impressive run to the quarter-finals before falling to defending champions Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini. But how did they first meet? Instagram messages. “She slid in my DMs and asked me to play. I was like, ‘Sure, why not?’” Gauff told Tennis.com in May. “I’m super happy to play with her, and obviously she’s a killer in doubles: two junior slams and probably some future ones too.” She dated Hong Kong tennis star Coleman Wong Chak-lam Eala was previously in a relationship with fellow athlete Coleman Wong from Hong Kong, whom she met at the Rafa Nadal Academy. Both made headlines at the Miami Open in March, with Wong reaching round three and achieving the best WTA 1000 finish by a Hong Kong athlete. However, the pair has since confirmed they are no longer dating. Eala denied the relationship at a press conference after the Miami Open, while Wong told reporters their relationship is “in the past”, according to The Standard. Still, the two appear to be good friends. On Eala’s 20th birthday this year, Wong shared a photo of Eala and himself with the caption, “Happy birthday @alex.eala.” The love for sports runs in her family Turns out, Eala is not the only one in her family with a love for sports. Her mother, Rosemarie Maniego-Eala, is a Southeast Asian Games bronze medallist in the 100-metre backstroke. Her uncle, Noli Eala, previously served as the chairperson of the Philippine Sports Commission.