Rafael Nadal’s sister Maribel has reacted to Alexandra Eala’s scintillating win over World No. 2 Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Miami Open. The Filipino teenage prodigy is a Rafa Nadal Academy graduate.
Eala received a main draw wildcard for the coveted WTA 1000 event. She started her campaign by impressively ousting home favorite Katie Volynets and set up a clash with Jelena Ostapenko. She shocked the world when she defeated the 25th seed in two sets and followed it up with another straight-sets win over Madison Keys. Paula Badosa’s withdrawal sent Eala into the quarterfinals.
Eala then did the unthinkable, defeating second seed Swiatek 6-2, 7-5 in just an hour and 39 minutes to reach her maiden WTA semifinals. Maribel shared a clip of the winning moment on her Instagram story.
Still from Maribel’s Instagram story (@mariabel_nadal)
Rafael Nadal’s sister also reshared an image of Alexandra Eala alongside Iga Siwatek from the Filipino’s graduation ceremony in June 2023. The Pole was the guest of honor at the ceremony. When asked about the image during her on-court interview after the latest victory, Eala said:
“It’s so surreal because I feel like I’m the exact same person that I was in that photo. But of course, circumstances have changed, and I’m so happy and so blessed to be able to compete with such a player on this stage.”
The Filipino’s box also had a special member from Nadal’s family.