---
title: "Alexandra Eala wins first WTA Tour title at Washington Open; first Filipino to win a WTA Tour title"
sdDatePublished: "2026-08-04T13:49:00Z"
source: "https://www.olympics.com/en/news/rafa-nadal-congratulates-breakout-academy-graduate-alex-eala-after-first-wta-title"
topics:
  - name: "tennis"
    identifier: "medtop:20001085"
  - name: "sport"
    identifier: "medtop:15000000"
locations:
  - "Washington"
  - "Philippines"
  - "Spain"
---


Alexandra Eala wins first WTA Tour title at Washington Open; first Filipino to win a WTA Tour title

Rafa Nadal congratulates breakout academy graduate Alex Eala after first WTA title

Rafa Nadal congratulates breakout academy graduate Alex Eala after first WTA title

Three years after graduating from the Rafa Nadal Academy, the 21-year-old Filipino is having a breakthrough season.

As Filipino tennis star Alexandra Eala continues to make more history in a breakout 2026 season, Rafael Nadal has congratulated his former student after she claimed her first WTA Tour singles title at the 2026 Washington Open .

On Monday (3 August), the 21-year-old became the first player from the Philippines to win a WTA Tour-level singles title , rallying past top seed Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 in the final. The triumph lifts Eala to a career-high world No. 20.

A former member of the Rafa Nadal Academy , Eala moved to Mallorca at the age of 12 to train before graduating in 2023 and turning professional in 2025.

Nadal praised his former academy student on social media, writing: "Congratulations Alexandra! What an incredible week in Washington. A well-deserved title given the hard work. Congratulations to the Philippines and the whole Academy team!"

Eala's title run included victories over defending champion Leylah Fernandez , second seed Elina Svitolina and third seed Naomi Osaka before overcoming Pegula in the final.

The 21-year-old now heads to the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open with little ranking pressure, before turning her attention to the season's final Grand Slam, the US Open .

Inspired by Rafael Nadal, Alexandra Eala wants to conquer the clay: “Anything I can take from Rafa, I'll take with pride”