Okay, so, picture this: years of sweat, relentless drills, the whole shebang – that’s what it takes to crack the big leagues in tennis. And right now, Alexandra Eala‘s living that dream at the Miami Open! One of the biggest upsets of the fortnight unfolded as the 19-year-old from the Philippines, fueled by serious grit and Rafael Nadal’s academy training, stunned the tennis world by defeating the reigning Australian Open champion, Madison Keys, in straight sets. She thoroughly outplayed Keys, breaking her serve an impressive six times in a dominant 6-4, 6-2 performance at Keys’ home tournament. Looks like years of dedication shining through at every point! Surely, Rafael Nadal is proud of his pupil, right?

Her victory made her the first Filipino player in the Open Era to defeat a former Grand Slam champion at the WTA level. She is also the first at either WTA/ATP level since Eric Taino defeated Michael Chang in 2003. After her incredible win, Eala celebrated with her team, overcome with joy. She gave a tearful shoutout to her parents, Mike and Rizza, who stayed up to watch her match, exclaiming, “Mom, dad, I did it… My god!”

Rafa took to his Instagram Story, applauding her success with “👏🏼@alex.eala👏🏼” But who is this young starlet?

Alexandra Maniego Eala, born May 23, 2005, is a Filipino pro tennis player from Quezon City. Eala reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 134 on January 27, 2025. She’s the highest-ranked Filipina in WTA Tour history. As a junior, she ranked No. 2 in the world. She made history by winning the 2022 US Open, becoming the first Filipino to win a junior Grand Slam singles title. Talk about making a statement.

Not just that, but she has also dubbed Rafa her idol! “He is so grounded, and he has achieved more than anything I could dream of, and the fact that he is still so nice to everyone around here is very admirable from him,” she said to GMA back in October 2020.

No wonder Rafa is proud! The Rafa Nadal Academy supports its students with intensive, personalized tennis training, based on Nadal’s ATP experience. This includes technical, tactical, physical, and mental conditioning, plus nutrition guidance. The academy emphasizes values and strives for all-around development, offering an international school, campus life, and tournament opportunities.

Like Eala, on the ATP side, Coleman Wong is also making waves in Miami. Rafa is proud of them both!

Rafael Nadal gives a shoutout to two rising stars of his academy

Even though Rafa’s hung up his racket, he’s still got his eye on the ball – especially when it comes to his academy students killing it at the Miami Open! Now Alexandra Eala and Coleman Wong are making history for their countries, racking up some seriously impressive wins and making it to the third round. Talk about making a legend proud!

On March 21, Eala stunned former Roland Garros champ Jelena Ostapenko, becoming the first Filipina to beat a Top 30 player since ’75! Rafa couldn’t help but tweet, “Congratulations Alex! What a great win for you and for [the Philippines]” And Wong?

He upset No. 13 seed Ben Shelton, making him the second-lowest ranked dude to reach Miami’s third round AND the first guy from Hong Kong to take down a Top 20 player since ’73! Nadal was quick to praise him, saying, “There is a lot of effort behind these victories. We are very proud of you, Coleman! A historic win for Hong Kong.”

Both Eala and Wong are giving major props to Nadal’s academy for their development. Now, Wong’s set to battle it out against Adam Walton in the R32 at Court 1 on March 24th. A day later, Alexandra Eala will face tenth seed Paula Badosa in the round of 16! Can they keep the momentum going and pull off another huge upset? Hit up the comments and let us know what you think!