Rafael Nadal sends endearing message to his academy student Alexandra Eala after her impressive win over Jeļena Ostapenko at Miami Open

Rafael Nadal sent a heartwarming message to Alexandra Eala after the Filipino youngster beat former Grand Slam champion Jelena Ostapneko in the second round of the Miami Open. Eala earned an impressive 7-6 (2), 7-5 win over Ostakepnko to cruise into the third round, where she will face the fifth seed and Australian Open champion Madison Keys.

Eala, 19, received a wild card for the Miami Open and put up a scintillating display as she fought her way back from trailing 0-4 in the first set to win it on the tie-break. She moved from strength to strength, took a 4-0 lead in the second set, and then saved a set point trailing 4-5.

She held on to cause a massive upset by beating 25th seed Jelena Ostapenko to earn her first top-30 win. Interestingly, this is also the first time the teenager has won consecutive tour-level matches.

Alexandra Eala has been training at the Rafael Nadal Academy in Mallorca since she was 12. The Spanish legend sent an endearing message to the youngster to congratulate her on the massive win, writing on his Instagram story:

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

Screengrab of Rafal Nadal's message to Alexandra Eala. Source: Instagram @rafaelnadal

Alexandra Eala, who recently achieved a career-best ranking of 134, is the highest-ranked Filipino female singles player of all time. She will hope to continue her giant-slaying run when she takes on the formidable Madison Keys in the third round.

"I had a poster of Maria Sharapova in my room" - When Alexandra Eala revealed her idols

Alexandra Eala in action at the Miami Open. Source: Getty

Alexandra Eala has been training at the Rafael Nadal Academy, one of the best tennis institutions in the world. The youngster has made rapid strides since her impressive junior career, which saw her win the US Open girls' title in 2022 and doubles titles at the 2020 Australian Open and 2021 French Open.

When asked about whom she idolized growing up, Eala revealed in a 2024 interview that she was a big fan of Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova.

“I had a poster of her in my room, she was my fifth-grade project. I like her style, I like how she fought and ran after every ball," she told The National.

The fast-rising talent also delved into how inspiring it was to see 22-time Grand Slam champion Nadal, who has a whopping 14 French Open titles, train from close quarters.

"Just to be able to see him (Nadal) practice as often as I do, in person, and really see his work ethic, I think that’s something that I won’t get anywhere else," she said.

Having trained under the watchful eyes of one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Eala will look to find similar success as she continues her campaign at the Miami Open.