Alex Eala begins clay campaign as Oeiras Open top seed

Alex Eala of the Philippines reacts after winning a point against Iga Swiatek of Poland on day nine of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium. Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

MANILA, Philippines —Alex Eala opens her clay season as the top seed at the 2025 Oeiras Ladies Open from April 14 to 20 in Portugal.

Riding on the crest of her Miami Open run and new Women’s Tennis Association World ranking No. 73, Eala will be seeing action as a first seed for the first time as a pro in the WTA 125 tournament.

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It will be her first tournament since her amazing run in the Miami Open, where she took down three Grand Slam champions as a wild card to reach the semifinal.

After beating the likes of Iga Swiatek and Madison Keys, Eala fell short of reaching the final after a three-set loss to Jessica Pegula.

Following an amazing run in the Miami Open, the 19-year-old admitted that there’s pressure with all the achievements and praises she has earned.

“There is definitely pressure because I was able to do well, but that’s also a good sign,” said Eala in her virtual press conference on Tuesday. 

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“And I understand that this is new for me. This is something I haven’t done before, being in the top 100 and being one of the seeded players. So that’s what I’m trying to work on, being able to continuously keep up this level.

The Rafa Nadal Academy graduate is also preparing for the WTA 1000 Mutua Madrid Open, which is set to begin on April 22, followed by WTA 125 in Vic, Spain.

The Filipino prodigy will head to Italy next month as she plays in the WTA 1000 in Rome and WTA 125 in Parma on May 6 and 12,  respectively.