Rafael Nadal congratulates Alex Eala on historic WTA triumph

Tennis great Rafael Nadal was among the first to congratulate Alex Eala after the Filipino star became the first woman from the Philippines to win a WTA Tour singles title.

Eala produced the biggest victory of her career by rallying past World No. 3 Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 to lift the Mubadala DC Open title in Washington.

“What an incredible week in Washington! A well-deserved [trophy] for all the hard work. Congratulations to [Philippines flag] and to the entire @rnadalacademy team!” Nadal wrote on X.

The 21-year-old capped a memorable week with a comeback victory in a final that was played over two days after persistent rain caused multiple delays before play was suspended on Sunday.

Huge learning

Eala reached her maiden WTA 500 final after defeating defending champion Leylah Fernandez, second seed Elina Svitolina and third seed Naomi Osaka during her impressive run.

Reflecting on her breakthrough, Eala praised Pegula and said she learned a great deal from facing one of the world’s best players.

“It’s always a pleasure to share the court with you. I definitely learned so, so much, especially from your forehand lines and your backhand crosses,” she said.

Eala credited her family and team for helping her reach the milestone, describing them as her “inner circle.”

“They’re my inner circle. They’re the ones who are putting in the work every day with me, who make me feel like I’m not enduring alone or putting in the hard work alone, because I know they’re right there with me,” she said.

Gratitude to organisers

She also thanked the tournament’s medical staff for helping her recover throughout a physically demanding week and expressed gratitude to the organisers, who were forced to extend the event by a day because of the weather.

Eala had lost the opening set and was leading 2-1 in the second when heavy rain halted the final. After a five-hour delay, officials postponed the remainder of the match until Monday.

“Moving the final by one day was no easy feat, but super memorable,” Eala said.

She reserved special thanks for the fans, particularly the Filipino community in Washington and supporters watching from home.

“To all my supporters, thank you guys. Thank you to all my supporters, especially the Filipino community here in DC and back home, and wherever you are in the world,” she said.

“I feel all the love, maraming, maraming salamat, mga kababayan.”

Eala revealed she had received countless messages of encouragement before the final, saying the overwhelming support gave her confidence regardless of the outcome.

“Before the final yesterday, I got so many sweet messages from my family and my friends. I thought to myself, ‘I feel so much love’. Standing here in the middle of all this love, my first chance at a title, knowing it won’t be my last. Already having achieved this feat and this milestone for my career, I knew that whatever would have happened after this match, it would have already been a win for me. Thank you everybody. I really look forward to seeing you guys again.”

Following her historic triumph, Eala is projected to climb to world No. 20, the highest ranking of her career.