Casper Ruud shares crucial advice for fellow Rafa Nadal academy student Alexandra Eala after her incredible rise in the tennis tour
Alexandra Eala had a fairytale run at the 2025 Miami Open, where she defeated three Grand Slam champions on her way to the semifinals.
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Alexandra Eala, Casper Ruud (images via Instagram)
World No.15 Casper Ruud recently heaped praise on Filipina tennis sensation Alexandra Eala. The Rafa Nadal Academy protege had a dream run at the 2025 Miami Open. Entering the tournament as a wildcard, Eala defeated three Grand Slam champions in straight sets before succumbing to Jessica Pegula in the semifinals.
In Miami, Eala outplayed Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys, and Iga Swiatek. Eala is the first Filipina in history to reach a WTA 1000 semifinal. With this incredible run, she cracked into the WTA top 100, becoming the highest-ranked Filipino tennis player.
It’s incredible what she’s doing. I don’t know her personally, but on TV, she seems like a very humble girl; yesterday she was very close to beating Swiatek again. It’s amazing to see the strides she’s making at the highest level of the sport. And I hope she can continue like this. I advise her to enjoy the present because it all goes by very quickly.
Casper Ruud said (H/T: Punto de Break)
After her run at Miami, Eala commenced her clay season with the Oeiras Open, where she made it to the Round of 16, losing to Panna Udvardy. Eala earned a place in the main draw of the Madrid Open after being ranked 72nd in the WTA.
She produced a stellar performance in her opening round to beat Viktoriya Tomova in straight sets. She then faced defending champion Swiatek in her next round, however, the Pole came from a set down to take revenge on Eala on her favorite surface. Swiatek will face Linda Noskova in her next round at Madrid.
Casper Ruud explains the transition from clay court to hard court
Casper Ruud, who has won 11 of his 12 titles on clay, spoke about the transition from hard court to clay court. He remarked that the biggest difference between both surfaces is time. The weather is very hot, and the ball moves very fast.
When you switch from hardcourt to clay, the biggest difference is time; it is very hot, and the ball moves very fast. In Monte Carlo, it is cloudier, and the balls are heavier. In general, during the whole clay court tour, time is very important because the court conditions change.
Casper Ruud added
The Norwegian, however, is yet to find his best form on the surface this season. He reached the Round of 16 of the Monte Carlo Masters, where he lost to Alexei Popyrin. Ruud then played in the Barcelona Open, where he was the champion in 2023. Ruud lost to eventual champion Holger Rune in the tournament this year. Ruud started his Madrid Open campaign by defeating Arthur Rinderknech in straight sets.
Casper Ruud will face Sebastian Korda in the third round of the Madrid Open
Casper Ruud will meet Sebastian Korda in the next round of the tournament. Korda defeated Federico Cina in his opening round match at the Madrid Open.
The upcoming match will mark the first meeting on court between Korda and Ruud. The winner of this match will meet either Taylor Fritz or Benjamin Bonzi in the next round.
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