Rafael Nadal congratulates Academy star Alexandra Eala on first WTA Final in Eastbourne

Rafael Nadal congratulated his academy student, Alexandra Eala, after she reached her first WTA final at the Eastbourne Open. The 20-year-old Filipina continues to show her rapid adaptation to the top level and secured an epic victory over Varvara Gracheva.

Eala has made her first appearances at the WTA level this year, where she caught attention by reaching the semifinals of the Miami Open last March, defeating three Top 10 players along the way. Since then, she continues to seek consistency among the best, and provided a surprise in Eastbourne.

Eala is a graduate of the Rafa Nadal Academy, and the 22-time Grand Slam champion did not miss the opportunity to congratulate one of his academy's prodigies. Eala advanced through Eastbourne coming from qualifying, then defeating rivals such as Lucia Bronzetti, Jelena Ostapenko, and Dayana Yastremska along the way. The three-set victory over Gracheva takes her to her first WTA final.

It will be a historic match due to the young age of both protagonists, as her opponent is even a year younger: Australian Maya Joint. It will be the youngest women's final at the tournament since 1981, almost 45 years ago.

Through his social media, the now-retired Rafael Nadal congratulated Eala – a graduate of the Nadal Academy in 2023 – who also guaranteed her best ranking so far as world No. 56, moving up 18 positions in the rankings. Eala will look to complete a dream week this Saturday, and if she manages to win the title, she could climb a few more positions to reach the verge of the Top 50.

Once the tournament is over, Eala will have to quickly prepare for Wimbledon, where she has a very tough draw against defending champion Barbora Krejcikova in the first round.