various milestones that have furthered her career massively.

She has gone from being this talented but unproven youngster into a genuine and tangible threat to the world’s top players, and combining this ever-improving talent with her unwavering fanbase, it really feels like she could beat anyone.

This is the result of months and years of hard work under the tutelage of the Rafa Nadal Academy, with the bulk of her current coaching team still made up of people from that initiative.

One such figure, Sandro Viaene, has now joined journalist Dyan Castillejo on her YouTube channel to discuss Alexandra Eala’s recent development whilst rating her 2026 campaign thus far.

Alex Eala’s coach praises her 2026 season so far

He began by previewing the Asian swing of the season, which will start for the 21-year-old in Singapore later today.

Eala’s opponent has already previewed their match, where the Filipina superstar will be the overwhelming favourite.

And now, discussing whether they’ve changed anything for the dramatic change in conditions, Viaene admitted: “Well, inside is a bit different, because there is no wind, there is no… It’s a bit more, the ball is always more the same. But it suits the Alex’s game; it’s good for these surfaces, for these conditions. So we didn’t change anything.

“So keep playing how she was playing, but on indoor courts.”

Asked how their recent practices have been, particularly on her return to Manila, he added: “It depends on the day. We plan the day before, and nothing, nothing special.”

“We were [in Manila for] three days, I think, and we practised twice in San Agustin. The people there was amazing with us, giving the indoor facilities. And, yeah, it was good to practice this, good environment, good support, so amazing, everything.”

Eala has been improving all over the court, from her serve to her forehand and even her movement too.

However, when selecting the area that has accelerated more than most, her coach noted: “Well, she’s doing, she’s doing a lot of things well. Well, you can appreciate watching [her] on TV, but in life, you can appreciate even more.

“I think she’s hitting harder. She’s hitting harder, and she’s doing better. She was doing good, but now even better, about game things. She’s doing a bit better in many aspects.

“So, I think the American swing also was a continuation of the grass swing that was also good.”

He finished by reviewing Eala’s entertaining US Open loss to Iva Jovic, which many saw as the match of the entire tournament.

Viaene claimed: “Insane. It was insane. I was watching at home; it was amazing. Good level from two very good players. Young players that they want everything, so I think for the spectator it was fantastic. Was fantastic.

“They wanted to hit harder than their opponent. For the spectator, it was amazing.”

How Alex Eala could climb the world rankings in Singapore

The draw for the Singapore Open made Eala’s path to the final quite clear, but much has changed since then.

After all, big-name withdrawals for Jessica Pegula, Amanda Anisimova and Diana Shnaider to name but a few, and further losses to the likes of Donna Vekic and Barbora Krejcikova, have blown things wide open.

Now, only Mirra Andreeva remains as an outstanding threat to the title, who will face Leylah Fernandez in a tricky quarter-final match tomorrow.

If Eala wins her opening-round match against Tatiana Prozorova, she can overtake Naomi Osaka to reach another career-high ranking of 17th.

If she wins the entire event, she can climb as high as 14th.