MY ACCOUNT
Alexandra Eala became the first tennis player representing the Philippines to win a grand slam singles title as the Rafael Nadal Academy star lifted the US Open girls’ trophy.
The 17-year-old beat the Czech Republic’s junior French Open winner Lucie Havlickova 6-2 6-4 and did not drop a set in all six singles matches she played in New York.
As well as training at 22-time grand slam winner Nadal’s academy in Mallorca for a number of years, Eala has taken inspiration from the Spanish left-hander too.
“I think my idol is obviously Rafa. But I’m not just saying that because I’m in his academy,” she said.
“He’s a very good role model, something a lot of people should idolise and try to be. The biggest thing I notice in Rafa is how he fights till the end, how his thoughts are so clear. He’s so calm, but at the same time so fired up. I think I really tried to channel that energy during this whole week.
“That’s also what I tried to show, to people who look up to me, to think with a clear head and to not act irrationally.”
Eala was the 10th seed in New York and toppled the second seed in the title match, for a result she described as “very overwhelming”.
Last year’s women’s singles runner-up Leylah Fernandez is a player whose mother is Filipino Canadian, while Emma Raducanu, who beat Fernandez, has a Chinese mother.
“I think the final last year was very groundbreaking, something very special,” said Eala. “They’re both young and both from diverse backgrounds. It definitely hit a lot of people.”
