The 21st century
Philippines · born Quezon City, 2005 · left-handed · Wimbledon fourth round 2026
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4th round
Wimbledon 2026, a first for the Philippines
7-6, 6-2
Win over defending champion Iga Świątek, 2026
4
Championship points held in the 2025 Eastbourne final
1
Grass title: Birmingham WTA 125, 2026
Born in Quezon City on 23 May 2005, Alexandra Maniego Eala started tennis at four, coached first by her grandfather Roberto Maniego, and later trained at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Manacor, graduating in 2023. As a junior she won the girls' doubles at the 2020 Australian Open and the 2021 French Open, and the 2022 US Open girls' singles, the first junior major singles title for the Philippines. As a wildcard she reached the Miami semi-finals in 2025, beating Iga Świątek, and in 2026 she won her first WTA Tour title in Washington, beating Jessica Pegula in the final, and reached a career-high No. 18 in August. Her 2026 grass season brought the Birmingham WTA 125 title, a semi-final in Berlin and the fourth round at Wimbledon.
| Wimbledon singles | First round 2025, lost to Barbora Krejčíková. Fourth round 2026, seeded 29th: beat the defending champion Iga Świątek 7-6 (9), 6-2, then lost to Jasmine Paolini, who won 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 on Centre Court |
|---|---|
| Grass titles | Birmingham WTA 125, 2026: top seed, came from a set down to beat her doubles partner Nikola Bartůňková 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 |
| Finals to remember | Eastbourne 2025, as a qualifier ranked 74th: lost to Maya Joint 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (10) after holding four championship points; the first WTA final by a Philippine player |
| Berlin 2026 | Semi-final: beat Donna Vekić 7-5, 6-4, the second seed Elena Rybakina and Elina Svitolina 6-3, 6-4, then lost to Linda Nosková |
| Other grass events | Queen's 2026: second round, lost to Iva Jovic. Bad Homburg 2026: first round |
"Alex, she's really a tough opponent, especially here on grass."
The person behind the player.
Philippines, 2000s
Growing up in the Philippines, Eala had no grass courts to practise on. She trained on a court that doubled as a basketball court and had to be careful not to hit the hoops. After beating Świątek at Wimbledon she said the win went out to her family and to young girls.
Source: Associated Press, via KSATEastbourne 2025
A qualifier ranked 74th, Eala reached her first WTA final at Eastbourne. In the deciding tie-break against Maya Joint she held a championship point at 6-5, then three more, and Joint saved them all before winning after two hours 26 minutes. "She definitely tested me," Joint said.
Source: WTAWimbledon 2025
Nike marked her Wimbledon debut in 2025 with a hair tie shaped like a sampaguita flower. She lost in the first round to Barbora Krejčíková, but she has called Wimbledon her favourite major and its Centre Court the most beautiful court.
Source: WikipediaBerlin 2026
After beating Elina Svitolina 6-3, 6-4 for a place in the Berlin semi-finals, her second top-ten win in a row, Eala said she had been watching her opponent "since I was a kid" and called the match "such an honour". A week earlier she had won the Birmingham WTA 125 title.
Source: Tennis MajorsWimbledon 2026 · Centre Court
She beat Świątek on her third match point with a forehand winner, dropped to her knees and rolled onto her back. Philippine flags were visible around Centre Court, and afterwards she spoke of what it meant to have her countrymen cheering her on. Two days later Jasmine Paolini ended the run in three sets.
Source: Associated Press, via KSATFree membership: player news, the grass court Atlas, the rankings and the grass season calendar.
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