The strong performance took her to a career-high No. 29 in the WTA rankings, solidifying her continued rise on the tour.
But due to last year’s Miami semifinal points slip, she has slipped back to No. 45 — an inevitable improvement, but not necessarily a step back in her overall trajectory.
That upward path now meets a familiar obstacle as the tour turns into mud. And last season revealed just how challenging the surface has been for Ella.
In her clay swing, she was eliminated in the round of 16 at the WTA 125 event in Oeiras, before suffering defeats at major tournaments such as the Madrid Open in a three-set thriller against Iga Swiatek in the round of 64 and the Italian Open in the round of 128.
Ella’s Grand Slam debut at the French Open also ended with a first round loss to Emiliana Arango.
Overall, she posted only a 2–4 win–loss record on clay in 2025, which is a contrast to her much stronger numbers on hard courts.
But if there’s any reason to believe in a bounce-back, it lies in her pedigree and the work she’s been doing behind the scenes.
The Filipina tennis sensation recently returned to training at the Rafa Nadal Academy to prepare for the clay-court swing, and is enjoying the same environment that has shaped her game.
Being molded under the philosophy of Rafael Nadal, widely considered the greatest clay-court player of all time, gave Ila both the technical foundation and mental framework to finally bring his game to the surface.
That foundation has now shifted from theory to application as his 2026 clay campaign begins at the Linz Open, where he is set to test whether those lessons are beginning to be effective.
More than just results, this expansion will be about showing solid growth in longer rallies, better shot selection and an improved experience for Clay – as he prepares to play in more competitive tournaments such as the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, Mutua Madrid Open and Italian Open.
He also hopes this build-up will be enough for Ila to have a successful performance in the second round at Roland Garros.
In many ways, this part of the season will serve as a measuring stick for Ella, not only as to where she is, but also how far she’s come.
And if those subtle improvements begin to translate into deeper runs, this phase could mark the next step in her development, bringing her closer to becoming a complete and all-surface threat on the WTA Tour.
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