Alex Eala shares her special Nike gift after winning her first Tour title
Alex Eala has shown off the special shoes Nike made to celebrate her first WTA Tour win. The 21-year-old is having an amazing year, winning her first big title at a WTA 500 event in Washington, D.C., during the hardcourt season.
She beat a Top 10 player, Jessica Pegula, in the Washington Open with scores of 6-4, 4-6, and then a strong 6-0 in the final set. After that, she reached the Round of 16 in Toronto but lost to Olympic gold medalist Belinda Bencic, and then exited in the Round of 32 in Cincinnati against Amanda Anisimova. Both were tough WTA 1000 events.
Before the US Open, where many think she could go far, Alex and Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime were knocked out of the Mixed Doubles. At a recent ‘Stars of the Open’ event in the US, Alex wore the special Nike shoes made just for her to celebrate her Washington win. The shoes had “WTA 500” and “1st WTA title” on them. She even played doubles with her dad during the US Open exhibition in those shoes.
At the 2025 US Open, Alex lost in the Round of 64 to Spain’s Cristina Bucsa, after winning her first match against Clara Tauson. Fans expect her to go further this year, and if she wins big, she could follow in the footsteps of Emma Raducanu, who had a huge surprise win at the US Open in 2021.
Talking about the shoes and her bond with Nike, Alex said, “I walked out yesterday wearing these amazing shoes from Nike to celebrate my first title in Washington. They’re really personal and have cool details.” She also remembered winning the 2022 Juniors US Open and how Nike gave her a gift then too. “It feels special because they supported me from early on. I really love the Nike team,” she added with a smile.
Alex has built up lots of big sponsorship deals this year as she rises to the top of women’s tennis. Before the US Open, stars like Martina Navratilova and Patrick McEnroe suggested the tournament put Alex on bigger courts to fit her huge fanbase. She’s one of the most popular female athletes from the Philippines, and her fans have traveled far and wide to watch her play. They are expected to be cheering her on at the US Open!