10 Times Alex Eala Brought Her Beauty Game On—and Off—the Court

Alex Eala has spent her career being watched for her game.

This year alone, Eala surprised the global tennis world with her performances at the 2026 Birmingham Open, where she won her second WTA 125 title, and the 2026 Washington Open, where she captured her first WTA Tour title (and first WTA 500), rising to a career-high of No. 18 as of August 2026.

Off the scoreboard, she’s also watched for her beauty game. Eala usually keeps beauty practical when she plays: sunscreen, barely-there makeup, and hair pulled securely from her face, often topped with a tennis visor to match her kit. But look closely, and her personality shines.

At this year’s US Open, a flash of blue nail polish wrapped around her tennis racket is one of the many beauty details that have made their way onto the Filipino tennis star’s court. Sampaguitas have appeared in her hair and across her nails on separate occasions too. 

Off court, ponytails and tight buns give way to soft waves, full glam, and experimental editorial hair. As her global profile grows, so does a beauty identity that moves seamlessly between performance and self-expression—with distinctly Filipino touches along the way.

Fresh-faced glam for her first Vogue Philippines cover

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Fresh off her junior Grand Slam win at the US Open, the then-17-year-old stars as Vogue Philippines’ November 2022 cover star. Makeup and hair artist Xisca Covas keeps Eala’s glam fresh and natural: soft matte base, groomed eyebrows, barely there blush, and matte terracotta lips, while her hair falls down her frame naturally. 

This is a look that’s easy to recreate, whether for a daily beauty routine or for days you want to look polished and put-together. 

Her performance-first approach to beauty

Alex Eala / IG: @alex.eala

Alex Eala / IG: @alex.eala

Functional and fuss-free, Eala prefers to sport a more practical look on the court. She maintains a fresh base using only sunscreen, proving that less really is more for her matches. Her hair is usually styled in either a bun or a ponytail (with bubbles as a variation), topped with a tennis visor to shield her eyes on the court, with stray hairs often secured with pins and clips on either side of her face. 

A sampaguita woven into her Wimbledon hair

Alex Eala / IG: @alex.eala

Adorning Eala’s hair for her 2025 Wimbledon main-draw debut was the sampaguita, the Philippines’ national flower. Presented in a white box with a miniature tennis court, Nike gifted this hair tie to Eala ahead of her Centre Court match against defending champion Barbora Krejcikova—accompanied by a handwritten note bearing the Filipino proverb, “Kung may tinanim, may aanihin.” 

Of the flower, Eala said, “Ang sampaguita ay paalala ng aking pinanggalingan at ng kulturang lagi kong dala-dala.” She wore it proudly, carrying her heritage onto the historic grass of the Centre Court.

A tennis overgrip became a hair accessory

Photograph by Mark Nicdao for Vogue Philippines and Nike; Styled by Pam Quiñones.

Photograph by Mark Nicdao for Vogue Philippines and Nike; Styled by Pam Quiñones.

For Eala, tennis is more than just the sport she plays—it has become an inspiration for her more editorial looks. For her third Vogue Philippines feature, hairstylistHairstylistA beauty professional who specializes in cutting, coloring, styling, and caring for hair, combining technical expertise and creativity to enhance individual style, confidence, and self-expression.Go to Hairstylist Glossary Cherry Reyes took the grip tape used to wrap a tennis racket’s handle and made it a part of Eala’s hair, wound tightly around her ponytail.

The whole look is finished with her sampaguita hair tie, the same one gifted by Nike ahead of her Wimbledon debut, turning a courtside memento into a recurring signature she’s known for. 

Soft waves and mauve glam for her red-carpet debut

Alex Eala / IG: @alex.eala

Eala’s first major red carpet appearance at the Laureus Sports Awards in April 2026 was nothing short of dazzling—it was a milestone moment that put her Filipino pride on full display for a global audience.

Dressed in a beige Filipiniana by her uncle Rhett Eala, the young Filipina athlete called her look “a quiet nod to where I came from and what I carry when I step into rooms like those.” Her elegant glam completed the moment: a soft matte base, neatly groomed eyebrows, rosy mauve blush, and velvet matte mauve lips. Her hair was styled down with soft curls, and her nails painted with milky white polish. 

Sampaguitas, this time on her nails

Alex Eala / IG: @alex.eala

The Filipina star has made a habit of carrying a piece of home with her onto the court. In her second Wimbledon appearance, that meant the sampaguita once again—this time on her fingertips. Delicate sampaguita petals were painted across the nails, done in a short gel-acrylic French tip.

It’s a small and simple yet elegant and utterly sentimental detail that she carries her culture onto the court. Her Wimbledon appearance this year is completed with her tennis visor, with the strap bearing the phrase, “Kapag lumago, hindi na hihinto.” 

Through small details like this, Eala proudly shows the world who she is: a Filipina.

Cobalt blue manicure at the US Open 2026

Alex Eala / IG: @alex.eala

Blue became emblematic of Filipina pride the moment Pia Wurtzbach wore it during her Miss Universe 2015 win. A decade later, the color finds a new bearer in Eala, who sported a cobalt blue manicure during her appearance at the US Open 2026. 

The blue carried through to the court itself: Eala wore the NikeCourt Slam dress in Old Royal with white lining, tying her nails to her kit for a fully coordinated look. It’s proof that even though she’s busy with her season, she still makes time for self-care!

Hair tendrils for her first New York Fashion Week appearance

Paul Cortes / IG: @paulcortes07

Whenever she’s off the court, you’re bound to see Eala wear her signature glam: a soft matte base, groomed eyebrows, a natural pop of color on the cheeks, a velvet matte or glossy lip, and an eye-catching manicure.

But for her first New York Fashion Week appearance with Tory Burch, the Filipina star switched up her usual tight and swept-back hair for a ponytail softened with face-framing tendrils, done by hairstylist Gonn Kinoshita. This is a small departure that speaks to her growing interest in fashion and beauty. 

To her, beauty no longer remains just an afterthought. It’s very much a part of her game—on and off the court.

Audrey Hepburn-inspired hair for Michael Kors’ New York Fashion show

Channeling Holly Golightly from Breakfast at Tiffany’s, hairstylist Dana Boyer took Eala’s long locks and swept them up in a sleek French twist—polished enough for the runway, but never stiff. One face-framing strand was left loose, softening the silhouette and letting makeup artist Mariel Barrera’s soft glam peek through instead of competing with it. 

Soft and natural curls for Calvin Klein’s New York Fashion Week show

Eala’s glam team has locked in a signature: soft matte base, groomed eyebrows, and a monochromatic wash of color across the cheeks and lips. But for the Calvin Klein show, her hair took the lead—worn down and loose, with soft curls left to fall naturally at the ends. Paired with an all-white ensemble and a silver clutch, the look reads effortless without losing polish.