After Eala, Rafa Nadal Academy unearths another gem

Filipino superstar Alexandra Eala has been hogging all the limelight in Toronto with her run into the last 16, something that would have pleased Spanish tennis legend Rafa Nadal no end. One of the first to send a congratulatory note when Eala won her maiden WTA Tour title in Washington last week, Nadal must be equally pleased to see another of his academy students make it to the pre-quarterfinals at the National Bank Open.

Nineteen-year-old Alina Korneeva delivered her best career performance so far on Friday, pulling off a 6-3, 6-4 straight-sets victory against World No. 16 Iva Jovic.

In one afternoon, the Russian teenager set several milestones. She secured her first win against a top-20 player and booked her spot in the Round of 16 at a WTA 1000 event for the first time. On Wednesday, the qualifier had upset the No. 23 seed, Emma Navarro 6-2, 6-2.

The Rafa Nadal Academy, meanwhile, took a moment to celebrate an incredible milestone of its own: having seven of its students officially ranked inside the ATP and WTA Top 100. Casper Ruud, Eala, Jaume Munar, Martín Landaluce, Solana Sierra, Korneeva, and Coleman Wong are on that elite list that is only going to get longer. The academy tweeted: “7 players representing the Rafa Nadal Academy in the world's ATP & WTA Top 100! We couldn't be prouder. Congratulations to every one of you!”

Korneeva's breakthrough comes as no surprise. She is a two-time girls' Grand Slam champion, famously capturing back-to-back major titles in 2023 at the Australian Open and the French Open. At the Australian Open, the final win was against her close friend and fellow Russian prodigy, Mirra Andreeva.

While Andreeva quickly shot up the pro rankings, Korneeva's progress was temporarily derailed due to injuries. Following a sensational 2023 season, she was forced off the tour in early 2024 due to a wrist tendon injury that required surgery, sidelining her for over seven months. It was followed by an adductor issue in 2025. But despite the setbacks, the teenager rebuilt her confidence on the ITF and Challenger circuits.

Korneeva used the Mallorca base to rebuild and refine her game following her injury setbacks. She also regularly hit and practiced alongside fellow academy standout Eala.

"The most advice from them [coaches at the Rafa Nadal Academy] was to accept the challenges," Korneeva said. "To accept that I'm still young. They were repeating to me every day, 'You're still young. You're just 17.'"

The world No 89 next plays fourth seed Coco Gauff and no matter the outcome, she has already given the Rafa Nadal Academy plenty more to cheer about.