Synopsis
Alexandra Eala, the 19-year-old wild card, caused a significant upset by defeating No. 2 seed Iga Swiatek 6-2, 7-5 at the Miami Open, marking her first WTA semifinal appearance. Eala's achievement makes her the first Filipina to reach a tour-level semifinal and guarantees her a place in the Top 100 of the WTA Rankings.Key Takeaways
- Alexandra Eala defeated Iga Swiatek 6-2, 7-5.
- Eala is the first player from the Philippines to reach a tour-level semifinal.
- She is guaranteed a spot in the Top 100 of the WTA Rankings.
- Only the second wild card to defeat three Grand Slam champions in one event.
- Eala aims for her first WTA final next against Pegula or Raducanu.
Miami, March 27 (NationPress) Teenage wild card Alexandra Eala pulled off a remarkable upset during her groundbreaking performance at the Miami Open, defeating No. 2 seed Iga Swiatek with a score of 6-2, 7-5. This victory marks the first time in her career that she has reached a WTA semifinal.
Eala, aged 19, has made history as the first player from the Philippines to reach a tour-level semifinal and is set to become the first Filipina to enter the Top 100 of the WTA Rankings next Monday.
"I'm in complete disbelief right now, I'm on cloud nine. It's so surreal. 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," Eala stated during her on-court interview.
She becomes the third wild card to reach the semifinals in Miami, following in the footsteps of Justine Henin in 2010 and Victoria Azarenka in 2018—both of whom were former World No. 1s returning from extended breaks, according to WTA reports.
This defeat marks Swiatek's third loss to a player ranked outside the Top 100 in a WTA main draw. Previously, she lost to Karolina Muchova (ranked No. 106 at the time) in the first round of Prague 2019 and Ana Konjuh (ranked No. 338 at the time) in the third round of Miami 2021.
Ranked No. 140, Eala's impressive run this fortnight has also included victories over Jelena Ostapenko and Madison Keys. She is now only the second wild card to defeat three or more Grand Slam champions in a single tour-level event, following Elina Svitolina at Wimbledon 2023. Before the Miami Open, she had never beaten an opponent in the Top 40, nor had she faced anyone in the Top 20; she now boasts two victories over Top 10 players, according to WTA statistics.
Eala is set to compete next against either No. 4 seed Jessica Pegula or Emma Raducanu as she aims for her first career WTA final.
