\n Published\u00a0Aug 5, 2026 06:35 pm\n <\/p>\n
Just as physically and mentally demanding as any other sports, tennis requires all the effort from the players and their coaches.<\/p>\n
Alex Eala, now rising in the tennis world, works day and night with a dedicated team whose main job is to polish her game whenever she needs to step on the court.<\/p>\n
And all that hard work came into fruition Tuesday, Aug. 4, when she topped the WTA 500 Mubadala D.C. Open to become the first Filipina to win in a Tour-level competition.<\/a><\/p>\n Joan Bosch, a former tennis player who once helped former world men\u2019s singles No.1 Carlos Moy\u00e1, was captured with one of the endearing moments after Eala’s win<\/p>\n The Spaniard is more than a coach for the Filipina sensation; Bosch is a figure worth mentioning as Eala walks her path to stardom.<\/p>\n Long before meeting the young Rafael Nadal<\/a>, the founder of the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca, Spain, Bosch earned his degree in Physical Education from Alberta Gim\u00e9nez University before becoming a national tennis instructor under the prestigious, more than century-old Royal Spanish Tennis Federation.<\/p>\n He took a tutoring job at the Balearic School of Sport before he rubbed elbows with Toni Nadal.<\/p>\n Carrying an impressive resume, Bosch then became one of the pioneers of the Rafa Nadal Academy, where Eala further mastered her game since she was 12 after being handled by national junior coach Karl Santamaria.<\/a><\/p>\n The partnership between Bosch and Eala, which began three years ago, proved to be the winning formula as the Filipina lefty elevated her game and rapidly climbed the WTA rankings.<\/p>\n \u201cI can tell you that I\u2019m super happy because this was the goal of the year\u2026 She could do it, she deserves it,\u201d said Bosch after Eala’s victory in DC.<\/p>\n Moments after her win over Canadian Leylah Fernandez in Round of 16, Eala, who is also fluent in Spanish, called Bosch as her \u201cconfidant\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cJoan, who\u2019s here with me, is my confidant [and] I trust him a lot, as well as my team back home,\u201d said Eala. \u201cHe [always] says that I just have to keep going because if I\u2019m there for every ball, I will have my chances.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I did. Like always, he\u2019s right. I think it helps me feel like I\u2019m not alone on court,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n