Toni Nadal warns with Eala: "She can be among the best in the world"

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If you've been following the Miami Open 2025 these past days, it will be rare not to have come across the name Alexandra Eala several times. At just 19 years old, this Filipina who has been training at the Rafa Nadal Academy since before the pandemic, has had the courage to defeat three Grand Slam champions without dropping a set: Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys, and Iga Swiatek. Stepping into her first WTA 1000 event semifinals in this manner, it's only fair to delve a little deeper into her story, evolution, and environment. Fortunately, we are well acquainted with the two people who have been by her side throughout this tournament: Joan Bosch and Toni Nadal.

"The match was highly contested, just what we were looking for her," comments Joan on the recent victory over Swiatek. Once a coach to Carlos Moyá, he now oversees Eala's daily routine in Manacor, quite possibly the person who knows her best on the court. "We didn't want it to be easy for Iga, but for her to feel that we were going to fight from the first point to the last. At times, everything was moving very slowly, three games in 20 minutes had gone by, but this helped her start to have some doubts. We needed to hit the ball very hard, make some winners because if not, Iga plays very close to the line and kills you with the first soft ball," analyzes the islander.

"It was also important to win points by running, even though the serve didn't work so well, we did well with the return," notes one of the coaches who had a closer professional and friendly relationship with Rafa Nadal. "Alex (Eala) is a guarantee when it comes to returning; we were confident because from there, we knew we would have chances. Luckily, she has known how to stand firm in crucial moments, which is the most difficult in these matches. All the training sessions at the Rafa Nadal Academy have paid off, both today and throughout the week," he adds excitedly after his pupil's 6-2 7-5 win over the Polish player.

Another person who knows the virtues of the Filipina perfectly is Toni Nadal, who was the director of the Academy in Manacor until a year and a half ago. Present in her box during these recent rounds, Toni is another person who has witnessed Alexandra's evolution since she set foot in Spain, constantly assisting her and supervising her work.

"She is a girl in whom I have always believed; for us, it is a success because she is the girl who has been with us the longest, almost six years training here. In all this time, there has never been a complaint, neither from her nor her family. She is demonstrating the potential she has; defeating the No. 5 and the No. 2 in the same tournament is not an easy task. When you beat players of this caliber, it means that, with a slight improvement in your game, you can be among the best in the world," affirms the man who coached his nephew for 27 years, winning all the Grand Slams.

This is precisely Eala's dream, to win the best tournaments and reach the top of the rankings. "She has a very tricky flat shot; she has managed the challenging moments of each set very well. I think a good job has been done at the RNA; everyone involved in her development should be congratulated," says Toni, who still maintains a great relationship with the entire team. "As I say, she is the girl who has been with us the longest, the person who has placed the most trust in this team. I am happy watching her play, seeing the improvement she has made; today, she played a complete match, a complete tournament so far, now we will see what happens in the semifinals," he anticipates about her upcoming match against Jessica Pegula.

Where will Eala's ceiling be? Hard to say, although the potential is limitless. Leaving Miami, she will climb at least 65 positions, moving from #140 to a virtual #75 in the rankings. If she wins the title, albeit still distant, she would rank in the top 35 worldwide, but that is a matter for another time. "When you see a girl play at this level, without the need for extraordinary plays, it means that her peak level is very close. It is true that she still has ups and downs, like in the 2-0 in the second set, where she needed to be a bit more aggressive with the serve, which made her falter a bit, but these things are typical of her age. Overall, everything is going very well, her game in this last match has been spectacular," reinforces Toni Nadal.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Toni Nadal avisa con Eala: “Puede estar entre las mejores del mundo"