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Rafa Nadal congratulates Alex Eala following historic Mubadala DC Open title win

Article (news)

Peter Andrew Acierto

Push Team

<p>Tennis superstar Rafa Nadal was quick to congratulate Filipina sensation Alex Eala after her well-deserved win at the Mubadala DC Open on August 3 (August 4 Philippine Time). On his official social media accounts, the former professional tennis player expressed how the trophy was “well deserved” by Alex. </p><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display:flex;max-width:550px;width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=2084352673181020286&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com%2F%23%2Fworkspace%2Fmonitoring%3Fitem%3Durn%3Anewsml%3Aod2-workbench-api.abs-cbn.com%3A2026-06-27T12%3A57%3A38.263251%3Afbc3ac52-6c95-4ade-99ee-184d71c0a068%26action%3Dedit&amp;sessionId=0b3160c18094aed45b194561c2fb23caadd5f1ff&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px" style="position:static;visibility:visible;width:550px;height:898px;display:block;flex-grow:1" data-tweet-id="2084352673181020286"></iframe></div><script async="" src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8"></script><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><p>Alex won her maiden WTA-level title at the Mubadala DC Open after defeating American player and World No. 3 Jessica Pegula, 4-6, 6-4, 6-0. She also made history as the first Filipina to win a WTA-level title. </p><div><br/></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/showbiz/celebrities/2026/7/23/who-said-this-alex-eala-s-amazing-grass-season-in-2026-became-an-inspiration-to-filipinos-1610" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>READ: WHO SAID THIS: Alex Eala’s amazing grass season in 2026 became an inspiration to millions of Filipinos</strong></a></div><div><br/></div><p>“Congratulations, @AlexEala05!” Rafa wrote.</p><div><br/></div><p>Rafa is the founder and owner of the Rafa Nadal Academy where Alex has been training since she was 13 years old. She became a scholar of the academy following her win at Les Petit As in 2018.</p><div><br/></div><p>“What an incredible week in Washington! A well-deserved 🏆 for all the hard work. 👏🏻 Congratulations to 🇵🇭 and to the entire @rnadalacademy team!” Rafa added.</p><div><br/></div><p>Fans of the young Filipina player shared how happy they are with the congratulatory message of the Spanish superstar. Other netizens expressed that the win of Alex in the DC Open is only the beginning of her career. </p><div><br/></div><p>“Well done!!!” Czech-American former professional tennis player Martina Navratilova expressed. </p><p>“She got her mental toughness and composure from the greatest competitor a.k.a Rafa. Huge congratulations to our very own,” a fan wrote.</p><p>“Congratulations, Alex the Great! Keep inspiring! You&#x27;re a gem, Alex!!! Thanks much idol Rafa and RNA Team for molding Alex into a warrior on court... Praying for your next matches, Alex!” another fan added. </p><div><br/></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/showbiz/celebrities/2026/4/23/look-alex-eala-graces-the-laureus-awards-1013" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>READ: LOOK: Alex Eala graces the Laureus Awards</strong></a></div><p>The win of Alex at the Mubadala DC Open gave her a boost in the ranking as she climbed to the 20th spot. She is also in 14th place at the WTA Live Race ranking as of writing. </p><div><br/></div><p>Following her successful start at the North American hard-court swing, Alex is set to compete at the upcoming National Bank Open in Toronto, Canada, where she’ll be facing American player Alycia Parks. </p>