“Rafa messaged me”: Alexandra Eala reveals support from Nadal after Miami Open breakthrough

Alexandra Eala made headlines at the recent Miami Open by reaching her first WTA 1000 semi-final, after entering the main draw with a wildcard. The 19-year-old Filipino, who trained at the Rafa Nadal Academy, revealed she received a message of support from the 22-time Grand Slam champion following her remarkable run at Crandon Park.

The teenager was the tournament’s biggest surprise. After defeating local favourite Katie Volynets in the opening round, she claimed the biggest win of her career by beating former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko (25th seed) — her first-ever win over a top-30 player.

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But few could have predicted what came next. Eala went on to eliminate the 2025 Australian Open champion Madison Keys (World No. 5), once again notching a career-best victory. She then advanced to the quarter-finals after the withdrawal of 10th seed Paula Badosa due to injury. Even more shockingly, she defeated five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek (World No. 2), securing her third consecutive career-best win.

Her dream run continued into the semi-finals, where she faced a tough battle against World No. 4 Jessica Pegula. Despite a brave fight, Eala eventually fell in three sets: 6-7, 7-5, 3-6. Still, her impressive campaign guaranteed her a leap of over 60 ranking spots to a career-high World No. 75.

Alexandra Eala at Miami Open press conference two weeks ago.

Though relatively unknown to many prior to the tournament, Eala had already impressed at the junior level. She won the 2022 US Open girls' title and reached a junior career-high of World No. 2 back in 2020, when she also made the French Open semi-finals.

Trained at the Rafa Nadal Academy from a young age in Mallorca, Eala graduated from the Spanish legend’s academy in 2023. While Nadal had publicly congratulated her on social media, it wasn’t known that he had also reached out privately — until now. “Rafa messaged me,” Eala said during an appearance on Power and Play. “It was the first time he ever messaged me personally so I think that was a shock to see.”

“Funny story, I only saw it like a couple of days [later]. It was exciting to see his notification,” she added.

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Eala was undoubtedly the standout story from the women’s draw at the Miami Open and has caught the attention of the tennis world as a rising star. However, she remains focused on her development: “I think I have been improving for a while [on] everything — a little bit my serve, a little bit of my fitness, the quality of my shots, how to build a point.

“It took me a while to really mesh those things together and make it come out during matches. But as you can see, when I’m playing well, the level is really there,” she stated. “I feel this week is really going to help with the trust that I have in myself and the trust that I have in my game. When I need to go for those big points, I believe I have the level to do so.”

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