Alex Eala chases second straight title at WTA São Paulo Open

Fresh off her historic WTA victory in Guadalajara, Alex Eala is set to headline the São Paulo Open in Brazil. 

The No. 3 seed, now ranked 61st in the world, opens against French qualifier Yasmine Mansouri. A win will pit her against either Argentina’s Julia Riera or Russia’s Vitalia Diatchenko in the next round.

Eala made history last week by becoming the first Filipina to win a WTA title, defeating Hungary’s Panna Udvardy in a thrilling final. 

Her recent success follows a strong US Open run and has boosted her prize money earnings to over P15 million this season.

With momentum on her side, Eala is eyeing back-to-back titles as she continues her impressive rise on the tour.

Meanwhile, the retired former No. 1 Spanish player Rafael Nadal, lauded Eala’s achievement for clinching her first-ever WTA title.

“Congrats @AlexEala05 for your first WTA (trophy). I am happy and proud of what you are achieving for yourself and for the Philippines,” wrote Nadal on X (formerly Twitter).

It can be recalled that the Filipina ace started her journey at the Rafa Nadal Academy, where she is an alumnae. She has also been continuously training at the academy in her pro career.