Filipino sensation Alexandra Eala’s dream run ends in Miami Open semi-finals

Dubai: Filipino teenage sensation Alexandra Eala’s remarkable Miami Open campaign came to an end in the semi-finals on Friday, falling to Jessica Pegula 6-7 (3), 5-7, 6-3. Despite the loss, the 19-year-old became only the third wild card to reach the last four in Miami, following in the footsteps of Justine Henin (2010) and Victoria Azarenka (2018) — both former World No. 1s making comebacks.

Eala’s breakthrough tournament saw her deliver a massive upset, eliminating No. 2 seed Iga Swiatek 6-2, 7-5 in the quarter-finals to reach her first WTA semi-final. She also secured wins over Grand Slam champions Jelena Ostapenko and Madison Keys, making her the second wild card to defeat three or more Slam winners in a single WTA event — following Elina Svitolina’s run at Wimbledon 2023.

By reaching the semi-finals, Eala has become the first player from the Philippines to advance this far at a tour-level event. Her achievement guarantees her a spot in the WTA Top 100 when the new rankings are released on Monday, making her the first Filipina to achieve the milestone.

“I’m in complete disbelief right now, I’m on cloud nine. It’s so surreal,” Eala said after defeating Swiatek. “I feel like I’m the exact same person as I was in that photo. But of course, circumstances have changed! I’m so happy and so blessed to be able to compete with such a player on this stage… My coach told me to run, to go for every ball, to take all the opportunities I can, because a five-time Slam champion is not going to give you the win.”

Ranked No. 140 ahead of the tournament, Eala had never previously beaten a Top 40 opponent or even faced a Top 20 player. Now, with two Top 10 wins under her belt and a new career milestone within reach, she has firmly announced her arrival among the sport’s rising stars.