Rafael Nadal's two young students, Alexandra Eala (Philippines) and Coleman Wong (Hong Kong - China) are creating a stir at the Miami Masters 2025 when they defeated famous opponents in the US.
At the age of 19, Eala, a player who grew up at the Rafa Nadal academy, excellently defeated Madison Keys, the Australian Open champion, with a score of 6-4, 6-2 to advance to the fourth round. Before that, she also defeated Jelena Ostapenko, the former champion of Roland Garros 2017, helping herself become the first Filipino tennis player to do so.
The youngster won a bronze medal at the 31st SEA Games in Vietnam and is showing incredible progress despite tennis not being a popular sport in the Philippines. Her journey will surely make Nadal and the Rafa Nadal Academy proud, as Eala is one of their brightest young talents at the moment.
Filipino tennis player Eala causes shock at Miami Open
"I feel like I'm living a dream. Even though the chances of winning are not high, my belief and confidence in myself helped me overcome all difficulties" - Eala shared after the victory.
With these victories, Eala became the pride of Southeast Asian tennis and the number 2 player in the region.
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Not only Eala, another name that also made waves in Miami was Coleman Wong - the number 1 tennis player from Hong Kong, only 20 years old. Wong only entered the tournament thanks to a wild card when he was ranked outside the world's top 170, but he made a feat by defeating Ben Shelton in 3 sets, earning a ticket to the 3rd round.
Wong will take on AdamWalton at 10pm tonight. Eala will face Paula Badosa at 6am tomorrow (March 25).
Both Eala and Wong are proving that Southeast Asian and East Asian players can absolutely shine on the international stage. There are still many challenges ahead, but they are certainly the pride of the region!
Also at this tournament, six-time Miami Open champion and fourth seed Novak Djokovic advanced to the fourth round of the tournament and broke Nadal's record.
Djokovic sets record for most wins at Masters 1000
A 6-1, 7-6 victory over Camilo Ugo Carabelli gave Djokovic his 411th win at the ATP Masters 1000, officially surpassing Nadal to become the player with the most wins at this level.
Source: https://nld.com.vn/hoc-tro-nadal-tro-thanh-niem-tu-hao-dong-nam-a-djokovic-vuot-qua-nadal-196250324142629584.htm
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