Ahead of Madison Keys match, Rafael Nadal's sister Maribel congratulates Alexandra Eala for breakthrough moment at Miami Open

Rafael Nadal's protege Alexandra Eala received a special message from his sister Maribel after she clinched a massive breakthrough in her young career at the 2025 Miami Open. The Filipino has successfully made it to the third round of the WTA 1000 event where she will be facing Madison Keys.

Eala received a main draw wild card for the 2025 Miami Open and has made the most of the opportunity. The 19-year-old kicked off her campaign with an impressive 6-3, 7-6(3) win over home favorite Katie Volynets to set up a clash with World No. 25 Jelena Ostapenko.

The Filipino stunned the world by defeating the 2017 French Open champion 7-6(2), 7-5 in emphatic fashion. What makes the even more special is the fact that the 19-year-old is the only player representing the Philippines on the professional tour since there are no other Filipinos, both men and women, inside the Top 1000 rankings.

Ahead of her highly-anticiapted clash against Madison Keys, Rafael Nadal's sister Maribel shared Alexandra Eala's winning moment on her Instagram story and congratulated the tennis prodigy.

Via Maribel's Instagram story.

The 22-time Grand Slam winner was also quick to congratulate his protege, who trains at the Spaniard's eponymous academy. Nadal also shared Eala's winning moment on his Instagram story and wrote:

“Congratulations @alex.eala! What a great win for you and for 🇵🇭 ! 👏”

The Filipino later opened up about how she was feeling after her massive win.

---

"I'm super overwhelmed right now" - Rafael Nadal's protege Alexandra Eala opens up about massive Miami Open 2R win

Miami Open Presented by Itau 2025 - Day 2 - Source: Getty

While talking to Filipino former tennis player Dyan Castillejo, Alexandra Eala revealed that she was feeling overwhelmed with what she had achieved and the win only increased her fervor for success.

"I'm super overwhelmed right now. I'm still trying to process, and you know this win means so much to me. Yeah, I've been working so hard, so this leaves me wanting more."

Sepaking on how she turned the opening set, where she was 1-4 down, around in her favor, Rafael Nadal's protege said:

"I think, you know, I just had to believe that I could do it and stay there, and, you know, stay there. She is the type of player that can crack winners, that can huge leads. So, I think the belief in myself was a key in this match."

Eala faces fifth seed Madison Keys, who kicked off her campaign with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Elina Avanesyan, next.