“She has improved a lot”: Tennis coach Joan Bosch lauds Alex Eala’s rapid improvement

Filipino tennis sensation Alex Eala carved her name in history after becoming the first player from the Philippines to capture a Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) crown, securing the WTA 125 Guadalajara Open title.

At just 20 years old, Eala has steadily established herself as one of the brightest young stars in world tennis and arguably the most accomplished talent ever to come out of Southeast Asia. Her rise has earned her a passionate global following, particularly among her countrymen back home in the Philippines.

Her momentum, however, faced a brief hurdle at the WTA São Paulo Open, where she bowed out in the quarterfinals after a 1-6, 4-6 loss to Indonesia’s Janice Tjen. Despite the setback, praise for Eala’s progress has only grown stronger—especially from her coach, Spanish mentor Joan Bosch, who has overseen her development in recent years.

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Bosch commended the Filipina’s rapid growth on tour.

“I realized that the speed of her shots, when she rallies the forehands and backhands, she really improved a lot in these two years. I have to say that I was impressed in the first game with the way she was playing,” Bosch said.

Filipinos who watched Eala practice take photos with Coach Joan Bosch after training . Thank you for the support says Coach Joan #AlexEala pic.twitter.com/duEZaoXtDD

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He added that challenges such as long travel schedules are part of the process.

“If you ask me what we can do better after winning a tournament and to be better, I don’t know. If there is one tournament in Mexico and the other one in Brazil and you have to travel 24 hours, you know there are many things you cannot control.”

Eala is now firmly inside the Top 100 of the WTA rankings and is projected to climb as high as No. 57 in the latest update—a remarkable achievement given her age. Her calendar remains packed, with more WTA tournaments lined up and a confirmed stint representing the Philippines in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Bangkok this December.

Bosch revealed that the team is still finalizing her schedule for the remainder of the year but confirmed their plans to compete in China.

“I think our idea is to play two tournaments in China. One will be a 125 event, then we will play one 1000 tournament. We are still deciding because with her ranking, you are in between the 250 main draw or 500 qualifiers. But for sure, the next ones will be two tournaments: the 125 and 1000.”

For Eala, the Guadalajara crown is just the beginning. With her relentless drive, she continues to set her sights on tennis’ grandest stages, including dreams of becoming world No. 1 and one day delivering a Grand Slam title for the Philippines.

At only 20, the trailblazing Filipina has already made history. The best, it seems, is yet to come.

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