Alex Eala dominates opening match at 2025 Oeiras Open despite rain delays

Filipina tennis superstar Alex Eala is off to a great start after leading in the opening match against a Dutch opponent at the 2025 Oeiras Open in Portugal despite the delays due to rain. 

Eala was the top seed in the tournament, marking another first in her tennis career. She swept Dutch foe Anouk Koevermans in two sets—6-3, 6-4—in the Round of 32 on the clay court on Tuesday, April 15. 

Koevermans was able to lead the second set with 4-2 on Monday, but the match was suspended due to heavy rains. When the match resumed the following day, the 19-year-old Filipina player bounced back, winning four straight games against Koevermans.

Eala currently holds the no. 72 spot in the world ranking after her historic stint in the Miami Open where she defeated World No. 25 Jelena Ostapenko on March 22, World No. 5 Madison Keys on March 24, and World No. 2 Iga Swiatek on March 27, before bowing out to World No. 4 Jessica Pegula on March 28. The teen tennis phenom became the first Filipino to beat a top 10 opponent at Miami Open in 50 years with her wins.

She will now advance to the round of 16 of the WTA 125 tournament. She is also set to compete in doubles with Katie Volynets, whom she beat in the first round of her semifinal run in the Miami Open. The duo is up against Carmen Corley and Christina Rosca of the United States on Wednesday, April 16.

With her placement in the Top 100, she is now the first Filipina to become eligible to compete in the four major tennis tournaments—the US Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and Australian Open—as a direct entry and not as a wildcard.

In a press conference on April 8, Eala shared that she's confident that she'll be able to achieve a Grand Slam one day and that she hopes to compete in the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.