Alex Eala is a tennis superstar, but she is so much more than the rankings. She is the daughter of a national swimmer, the niece of a PBA commissioner, and a girl who learned to play at age four because of her lolo.
She is also the highest ranked Filipino tennis player in history, and she has the receipts to prove it. Here are 12 things about Alex Eala that most people do not know, verified against her Wikipedia bio and WTA records.
1. She comes from a seriously athletic family
Eala’s mother, Rizza Maniego-Eala, was not just any mom. She was a national swimmer who won a bronze medal in the 100 meter backstroke at the 1985 SEA Games.
She also served as the chief financial officer of Globe Telecom until 2024. So yes, Alex’s mom is both an Olympian level athlete and a corporate executive.
The genes were never in question.
2. Her uncle used to run Philippine basketball
Her paternal uncle, Noli Eala, was the commissioner of the Philippine Basketball Association and later chaired the Philippine Sports Commission.
Another uncle, Rhett Eala, is a well known fashion designer. Sports administration and style, all in one family.
Bet the reunions are interesting.
3. Her older brother was a college tennis star too
Miko Eala played varsity tennis for Penn State University from 2020 to 2024. The Eala siblings were both top juniors, and they even won titles together as kids.
Tennis really is a family business for them.
4. Her lolo was her first coach
Eala picked up a racket at age four, and the person who put it in her hands was her maternal grandfather, Roberto Maniego.
He was not just a supportive grandpa. He was her first coach, the one who built her foundation before any academy got involved.
Every champion has a village. Hers started with lolo.
5. She won her first international title at age 7
At just seven years old, Eala won the U8 division of the Little Mo International Tennis Grand Slam Championship in Florida. That is the same event that has launched many junior careers.
By the time she was 12, she had added a title in Croatia and was climbing the Asian Tennis Federation rankings.
The trophy cabinet started early.
6. She made history before she was a teenager
In 2018, at age 12, Eala became the first wild card champion in the history of Les Petits As, the famous French junior tournament, which earned her a wildcard into the French Open juniors.
Nobody had ever won that tournament as a wild card before her. She was 12.
Read that again. Twelve.
7. She was a Rafa Nadal Academy graduate
Eala studied at the Immaculate Conception Academy in San Juan and Colegio San Agustin in Makati before moving to Spain to join the Rafa Nadal Academy in Manacor.
She trained there for years and graduated in 2023, becoming one of the academy’s most decorated alumni.
Yes, she learned from the house that Rafa built.
8. She is the first Filipina to win a junior Grand Slam singles title
In 2022, Eala won the US Open girls’ singles title, beating Lucie Havlickova in the final. It was the first junior Grand Slam singles crown for any Filipina.
She also reached a junior world ranking of No. 2, the highest by a Filipino since 1985.
History, repeated, again and again.
9. She stunned Iga Swiatek, twice
In March 2025, Eala shocked the tennis world by beating Iga Swiatek at the Miami Open, becoming the first Filipina WTA semifinalist. She did it again at Wimbledon in July 2026, dethroning the defending champion Swiatek to reach the fourth round.
Two different years, two different surfaces, same result: Swiatek goes home, Eala advances.
That is not luck. That is a pattern.
10. She speaks three languages
Eala is fluent in English and Spanish from her years training in Mallorca, and she speaks her native Filipino, too.
She regularly switches to Tagalog in post match interviews, a move that has made her a national icon and boosted tennis’ popularity back home.
Multilingual queen behavior.
11. Wimbledon is her favorite Grand Slam
With all due respect to the US Open, where she won her junior title, Eala has said Wimbledon is her favorite Grand Slam.
She loves the tradition, the grass, and the atmosphere. Given her 2026 run there, the feeling seems mutual.
12. She keeps breaking records that did not exist for Filipinos
Eala is the first Filipina to break into the top 30, the first to have wins over top 10 players, the first to reach the fourth round of a major, and the first to reach a WTA final.
As of July 2026, she sits at a career high world No. 28, the highest ranking any Filipino has ever held in WTA history.
And she is only 21. The ceiling is still somewhere up there.
The bottom line
Alex Eala is not just the best tennis player the Philippines has ever produced. She is a walking history book of firsts, a family of athletes, and a girl who started with her lolo in a backyard.
The best part? She is just getting started.
