Alex Eala pulled off the most stunning victory of her career thus far to continue her remarkable Miami Open campaign.
This is the biggest win of Alex Eala’s career — so far.
After taking down World No. 2 Iga Świątek, 6-2, 7-5, Eala advances to the semifinals of the Miami Open and becomes the first Filipino tennis player to reach a WTA-1000 level semi.
This is a huge upset, especially given that Eala started the competition ranked No. 140 in the world. To make things even sweeter, according to live rankings, she has now jumped all the way up to 75th in the world — her first top 100 berth.
Yet, as stunning as this result is on its own, the way she defeated Świątek was perhaps even more so.
The 19-year-old Filipina tennis star was already on an unbelievable run at the 2025 Miami Open. Despite entering the tournament as a wildcard entry, she pulled off a big upset over the 2017 Roland Garros champion Jeļena Ostapenko in the Round of 64, then went on to win against the reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys. After a walkover in the Round of 16, she became the first Filipina tennis player to reach a WTA-1000 level quarterfinal, where she faced her biggest test yet: Świątek.
Despite facing the five-time Grand Slam champion, who also happens to be one of the Filipina’s tennis idols, Eala showed a level of poise beyond her years.
Facing the former World No. 1 player, Alex Eala was in full control in the first set. Although she appeared to be nursing some discomfort in her upper legs, she still hustled hard to win back-to-back games and break her opponent on her serve. Świątek also committed 19 unforced errors in the first, allowing Eala to run away with it, 6-2.
The second set saw hungrier Iga on the court. She underscored her experience that five Grand Slam championships have earned her by taking the early lead this time, 4-2.
But what made this win particularly special for Eala is that, despite going up against one of the best players in the world, she showed no signs of intimidation or pressure. While Iga’s frustration was on full display at the quarterfinal, particularly prompted by her unforced errors, the Filipina kept herself composed throughout the entire match. Her focus was on point — and it delivered in spades.
Despite going down early on in the second set, Eala’s momentum returned quickly as she won two back-to-back games to tie it at four apiece.
Things heated up when the 2024 French Open champion broke Eala to reclaim the lead at 5-4, but the 19-year-old bit back by claiming back-to-back games again to lift herself to a 6-5 advantage.
Świątek would serve the final game of the match, but Alex Eala, who kept her cool the entire time, used her poise to her advantage. Not crumbling under the pressure of holding match point, she closed the quarterfinal, 7-5 in the second set, to advance to her first WTA-1000 semifinal and clinch the biggest win of her career thus far.
The Filipina was in pure disbelief after winning the match point, and this was the only time she allowed herself to show any emotion on the court.
“It’s so surreal because I feel like I’m the exact same person that I was in that photo, but of course, circumstances have changed,” the young, rising star shared in much elation during her post-match interview. “I’m so happy and so blessed to be able to compete with such a player on this stage.”
Now, Eala is slated to face the winner of the match between Emma Raducanu and Jessica Pagula, two formidable opponents. But if this Filipina ace is proving anything, it’s that she can never be counted out.
Banner images from AFP.