Alexandra Eala set to land mega sponsorship deals after Miami Open breakthrough

A run to the semi-final for a 19-year-old from the Philippines catapulted Eala into the top 100 of the WTA Rankings and fired the starting gun on a career that has already been getting plenty of attention in her homeland.

The 2022 Junior US Open champion has been talked about as a star in the making for some time and she backed up her credentials in stunning fashion with her run in Miami.

A win against world No 2 Iga Swiatek in the quarter-finals was a stand-out moment, but her wins against Jelena Ostapenko and 2025 Australian Open champion Madison Keys were equally impressive.

She is already the highest-ranked female player to emerge from the Philippines and the question must be what comes next for this superstar in the making.

Seemingly frail in stature, Eala could cope with the power coming at her from some of the biggest names in women's tennis and that bodes well for her future.

Of course, Eala is a long way from being the finished product as a tennis player, but as was the case with Emma Raducanu when she won the US Open in 2021, the race for sponsors to go on the journey with a player who appears to have it all from a marketing perspective is now on.

She already has a Nike logo on her tennis outfit and that agreement is likely to be upgraded after her impressive run in Miami.

Eala appears to be humble, she handled her media duties impressive as she was thrust into the limelight in Miami and with her Instagram following swelling to 350k after her run in Miami, she is already slipping into the 'influencer' category.

She has adored the front covers of glossy magazines Tatler and Vogue in her homeland and can now expect more of that treatment, as she is keen to make an impact for all the right reasons.

"I would love to think that I make a difference," said Eala. "You know, that's the only thing I can do to give back to my country is to help inspire, to inspire change and positive change, to inspire people to pick up a racquet, to watch more tennis, watch more women's tennis.

"I think that tennis in the Philippines has so much potential, because even though it's not as widespread as other sports, I feel that we have a lot of hidden talent, and if we can have the support to back it up and the exposure to back it up, then I think that Philippine tennis can be a big thing."

A big fan of five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova in her youth, Eala is eager to follow in her footsteps as she aims for the stars.

"My dreams have stayed the same, stayed constant," she states. "I have always been a big dreamer. Like I said previously, to win Grand Slams has always been one of the end goals. To become No. 1 has always been one of the end goals.

"I think that this result came at the right time. I try - you know, being a successful junior doesn't mean that you're going to be a successful professional, so I made it a point to work hard every day and to trust that my time would come, and hopefully this is the time."

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