Rafael Nadal's sister Maribel shares Alexandra Eala's graduation picture alongside Iga Swiatek ahead of Miami Open clash

Rafael Nadal's sister Maribel shared a picture of Iga Swiatek and Alexandra Eala together ahead of their 2025 Miami Open quarterfinal clash. While the Pole has been playing her usual high-quality tennis in the final stop of the Sunshine Double, the Filipino teenage prodigy has taken the fraternity by storm.

In June 2023, Swiatek was invited to be the guest of honor and deliver a speech to the fresh batch of 49 students of her idol Rafael Nadal's academy's graduates. She also admirably joined them in their celebratory hat-throwing ritual and clicked pictures with the students. Little did she know then that one of those students would soon go on to challenge her at a WTA 1000 event.

One of the students Swiatek clicked a picture with was the Filipino prodigy Alexandra Eala, who has taken the tennis world by storm at the Miami Open. She received a main-draw wildcard and kicked off her campaign with a straight-set win against Katie Voleynets. However, she demanded the world's attention when she defeated 25th seed Jelena Ostapenko and fifth seed Madison Keys back-to-back in straight sets.

After Paula Badosa's unfortunate withdrawal gave the Filipino a walkover, she set a dream quarterfinal clash against second seed Iga Swiatek. Despite facing tough opponents like Caroline Garcia, Elise Mertens and Elina Svitolina, the Pole has yet to drop a set.

The Spaniard's academy's Instagram page shared an image of the two quarterfinalists with the 22-time Major champion to highlight the incredible story behind this blockbuster match. They captioned the post:

"📅 June 2023: @alex.eala graduates from the Rafa Nadal Academy alongside @iga.swiatek 📅 March 2025: Alex will play the @miamiopen quarterfinals against Iga. What an incredible story! 😍"

The 38-year-old legend's sister, Maribel, shared Eala's graduation picture on her Instagram story. Maribel had earlier reacted to the Filipino's win over Ostapenko.

Via Maribel's INSTAGRAM story.

It is worth noting that Alexandra Eala isn't the only student from the Spaniard's academy who has been clinching impressive results at the Miami Open.

"It's my second home" - Alexandra Eala opens up about her time at the Rafa Nadal Academy

Alexandra Eala - Source: Getty

During a chat with the Tennis Channel after her 6-4, 6-2 win over Madison Keys in the third round, Alexandra Eala opened up about her time at Rafael Nadal's academy, calling it her 'second home' and explaining how it helped in her development.

"So I've been there for about seven years, so it's my second home and I have so many good relationships with the people from there. Yeah, and they've helped me in my development an astronomical amount," Alexandra Eala said.

The winner of Alexandra Eala vs Iga Swiatek will face either Emma Raducanu or Jessica Pegula in the semifinal.