She may be bowing out of the Miami Open, but Alex Eala has officially announced herself as a tennis player to remember.
This may have been Alex Eala’s first-ever WTA-level semifinal, but she was not simply happy to be there. She arrived on the court determined to put up a fight.
With precise and powerful forehands, perfectly orchestrated drop shots, and a resolve to withstand the pressure of facing World No. 4-ranked player Jessica Pegula, the Filipina pushed her opponent to the absolute limits, taking the fight to three long sets.
However, it was not enough to earn a ticket to the finals. Pegula ultimately prevailed, winning the drawn-out match, 7-6, 5-7, 6-3.
But even so, this has been the most incredible run by any Filipina tennis player in history. Her campaign in Miami saw her defeat three Grand Slam champions in a row, including World No. 2 Iga Świątek, and break into her first WTA-level semifinal, making her the first tennis player in Philippine history to achieve such feats.
On top of this, this run also guarantees her a spot in the Top 100 of the WTA rankings — a huge leap from her rank of 140 when this tournament began.
In many ways, this marks a victory for Alex Eala.
A fight worth celebrating
Alex Eala came out of the gates hot. Two stunning aces in the first game were just the tip of an iceberg of highlights that earned her back-to-back wins to open the first set, 2-0. Although Pegula showed her mettle with aggressive shots early on, the Filipina still kept her momentum to run all the way to an impressive 5-2 lead.
However, the American player found her stride and climbed back to tie the set 6-all and force a tiebreak. The two players exchanged points during the tiebreak, before Pegula ran away with it, 7-4, to claim the first set.
The World No. 4 player started the second set with firepower, opening with a 3-1 lead. Eala, meanwhile, called for a medical timeout to have her left foot wrapped up for support, after tripping and twisting her left ankle earlier in the match.
The medical timeout, however, might have been exactly what Eala needed as she found a second wind to tie the second set, 3-3. The left-handed player followed up by breaking Pegula’s serve to reclaim the lead, 4-3.
Though the 31-year-old pulled a set ahead, 5-4, the younger semifinalist pulled out all the stops to stay alive with three straight games to win the second set, 7-5.
Both players showed determination in the third set, staying close at three games apiece. Pegula dug deep to take a 5-3 advantage after breaking Eala’s serve. Her opponent, 12 years her junior, bit back to survive one match point — but in the end, the American prevailed to claim her spot in the finals with a 6-3 win in the third.
“I’m tired,” Pegula wrote on the Miami Open video camera, a testament to the fight that Eala put up against one of the top-ranked players in the world.
This may mark the end of Alex Eala’s memorable Miami Open run, but she can walk out with her head held high.
Coming into the tournament as a wildcard and ranked World No. 140, Eala made moves that her opponents will not soon forget. By defeating Grand Slam champions, dominating more experienced players, and reaching the semifinals, she has announced herself as a player to remember.
This will surely not be the last time we see Alex Eala on a stage like this.
Banner image from AFP.