Nelson Morales

Alex Eala in a Filipiniana designed by her uncle, Rhett Eala. WTA/Instagram

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Alex Eala in a Filipiniana

Dyan Castillejo

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1776760828188ALEX EALA 04212026.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Alex Eala in a Filipiniana designed by her uncle, Rhett Eala. WTA/Instagram"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Alex Eala in a Filipiniana designed by her uncle, Rhett Eala. WTA/Instagram </span></span></span></div><p>Before her first-round match at the <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/othersports/2026/4/20/tennis-alex-eala-to-play-qualifier-in-first-round-of-madrid-open-1447">Madrid Open</a>, Filipina tennis star Alex Eala took a brief pause to represent the Philippines in one of sports&#x27; grandest stages, the Laureus World Sports Awards. </p><p>The 20-year-old sensation <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/othersports/2026/4/21/alex-eala-shines-at-laureus-sports-awards-0922">turned heads on the red carpet</a> in a Filipiniana made by her uncle, fashion designer Rhett Eala. </p><p>The elegant ensemble featured a full beige chiffon long dress with a waist cut-out paired with a piña bolero, blending modern style with traditional Filipino elements.</p><p>The young Filipina showcased her heritage once again on an international platform, sharing a glimpse of her look in a TikTok video set to an OPM song.</p><p>&quot;Playing princess for the evening,&quot; she said in the caption.</p><div><br/></div><blockquote cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@alex.eala/video/7630965134717947143" class="tiktok-embed" data-video-id="7630965134717947143" id="v25724558436866684" style="max-width:605px;min-width:325px"><iframe name="__tt_embed__v25724558436866684" sandbox="allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox allow-scripts allow-top-navigation allow-same-origin" src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7630965134717947143?lang=en-US&amp;referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com%2F%23%2Fworkspace%2Fmonitoring%3Fitem%3Durn%3Anewsml%3Aod2-workbench-api.abs-cbn.com%3A2026-04-21T09%3A04%3A44.150303%3A36bc2d37-d8ab-41c8-b6e2-fc9ed00fb8fa%26action%3Dedit" style="width:100%;height:721px;display:block;visibility:unset;max-height:721px"></iframe></blockquote><script async="" src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><p>According to Rhett, the dress came together in a matter of days after Alex personally reached out with a clear vision.</p><p>&quot;Alex said that she wanted something Filipino and something in piña… She also wanted a top that she should be able to remove at the end of the night. So, she wanted to go dancing,&quot; he said. </p><p>Despite the tight timeline, the designer and his team completed the gown just in time to be shipped abroad.</p><p>&quot;Well, it&#x27;s Tuesday today… they asked me last Monday,&quot; Rhett said, describing the quick turnaround. &quot;We worked out some sketches. I called my team here, and my team here started working on the dress already.&quot;</p><div><br/></div><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-1" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/DXXLaB5keMY/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=540&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A1%2C%22os%22%3A10755141.099999428%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="881" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-1" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><p>Rhett said he felt immense pride seeing his creation worn at such a globally recognized event. </p><p>He also reflected on his niece&#x27;s journey, recalling the time she and her brother left the Philippines to train at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Spain.</p><p>&quot;They&#x27;re both very athletic and very disciplined… it&#x27;s so nice that they&#x27;ve grown up to be very good kids,&quot; he said. </p><p>A constant supporter of Alex, Rhett has traveled across countries to watch his niece compete.</p><p>&quot;I think I saw one of the juniors matches before she won the title,&quot; he said, adding that he hopes to watch her again in Spain.</p><p>&quot;Hopefully, if she gets far in Madrid, I&#x27;ll be able to go.&quot;</p><p>Alex is scheduled to open her campaign in the Madrid Open against a qualifier as she continues to build momentum on the clay courts of the WTA Tour.</p>

<p>Before her first-round match at the Madrid Open, Filipina tennis star Alex Eala took a brief pause to represent the Philippines in one of sports' grandest stages, the Laureus World Sports Awards.</p>

Before her first-round match at the Madrid Open, Filipina tennis star Alex Eala took a brief pause to represent the Philippines in one of sports' grandest stages, the Laureus World Sports Awards.

Alex Eala proudly wears Filipiniana at Laureus Awards in Madrid

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Alex Eala proudly wears Filipiniana at Laureus Awards in Madrid

Dyan Castillejo,

ABS-CBN News

Published April 21, 2026 04:41 PM PHT

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Alex Eala

Rhett Eala

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