Rafael Nadal's sister Maribel reacts to Alexandra Eala's shocking win over Iga Swiatek in Miami Open blockbuster

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.

---

Alexandra Eala receives special support from Rafael Nadal's uncle Toni during her Iga Swiatek clash

Alexandra Eala | Getty Images

Rafael Nadal's uncle Toni was in Alexandra Eala's box, cheering her on during her quarterfinal clash against Iga Swiatek. During her interview with the Tennis Channel, Eala talked about how much it meant to have Toni's presence in her career and during the match:

"Well, I worked very closely with Toni alongside of course my coach Joan, Sandro, and the other people from the academy. It meant a lot that he showed up here. I know that he had to catch a flight but it showed the confidence he had in me and the confidence the academy had in me. I also didn't know that he was going to come until this morning."

Nadal sent a touching message to the tennis prodigy, sharing how everyone involved in her development was proud of her staggering fairy tale run.