An amazing run in the Miami Open has made Alex Eala the first Filipina to achieve a number of milestones…
Alex Eala has written Philippine tennis history, and in more ways than just one.
After an astounding run at the Miami Open, one of the biggest WTA 1000 events on the WTA Tour, the 19-year-old proved her mettle against some of the best tennis players in the world — World No. 25 Jeļena Ostapenko, the reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys, and World No. 2 and five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Świątek.
All this from a player who entered the Miami Open as a wild card entry. In fact, by defeating Świątek in their quarterfinal clash, she equalled the best result of any wild card player in Miami Open history.
Eala first entered the famous tournament in 2021, and on her fifth attempt, she has shown just how much growth and progress she’s made over the last few years, especially after she impressively made it all the way to her first WTA-1000 level semifinals.
Now, she can even call herself a Top 100 tennis player.
“This is the goal, to do well on the WTA Tour, to win Slams, to get the rankings,” the Filipina expressed joyfully in an interview after her victory against Keys. “I think this is a good step towards where I want to be.”
To commemorate her achievements at the Miami Open, here are the big ways that Alex Eala made history for Philippine tennis.
Slaying Grand Slam champions
Alex Eala’s run at the Miami Open was very David-and-Goliath-esque. Entering the tournament ranked World No. 140, the wildcard entry came in as the underdog in her matches, as all her opponents were well within the top 100.
She defeated World No. 73 Katie Volynets in her first match. This took her to the Round of 64, where she beat World No. 25 and 2017 French Open champion Ostapenko in a long, nail-biting match that even saw the Filipina climb back from 4-0 down in the first set to ultimately win, 7-6, 7-5.
This triumph officially made Alex Eala the first player from the Philippines to defeat a Grand Slam champion and a top 30 player since the WTA rankings were first established in 1975.
The left-handed player advanced to the Round of 16, where she faced Madison Keys, a formidable opponent who had just won the Australian Open earlier this year and is currently ranked World No. 5. But the World No. 140 player held her own, breaking six of her opponent’s serves.
With this, Eala pulled off another huge upset, defeating Keys, 11 years her senior, in two sets, 6-4, 6-2.
This result not only kept her alive in the Miami Open; it also made her the first player from the Philippines to beat a top 10 WTA player. And as a plus, it also made her the first player outside of the top 100 to advance to a Round of 16 match in a WTA-1000 event this season.
Biggest win of her career
After her opponent in the Round of 16, Paula Badosa, withdrew from the tournament due to injury, Alex Eala advanced to her first-ever WTA 1000 quarterfinal, making her the first player from the Philippines to reach this level. Another marker in Philippine sports history in the books, and to match the weight of the occasion, she was set to face none other than Iga Świątek.
Currently ranked World No. 2, the five-time Grand Slam champion and former World No. 1 was Eala’s biggest competitor yet. And the wildcard player put up a stunning fight.
With crucially precise and powerful forehand shots, and by breaking the Polish tennis superstar’s serves, Eala took a commanding first-set win, 6-2. From there, the Rafael Nadal Academy graduate kept her composure, even when Świątek clawed back to take an early lead in the next set. Climbing back from a two-set deficit, Eala kept her win streak alive by closing the second set, 7-5 — and by breaking Iga to do it, no less.
This was arguably the biggest win of her career, thus far.
Semifinal run
By defeating the five-time Grand Slam champ, Eala became only the second wild card player to clinch three wins over Grand Slam champions at a single WTA-level event.
On top of this, she also continued her history-writing campaign by becoming the first Filipina to ever reach a WTA semifinal, where she was set to face World No. 4 Jessica Pegula.
Pegula, who is 12 years older than Eala, currently holds seven WTA singles titles in her career and has reached a career-high ranking of World No. 3. But just as she kept her cool facing big-time stars in the previous rounds, the Filipina ace put up a courageous fight.
Although she lost the first set of the match in a thrilling tiebreak, she came back to win the second, 7-5. The third set was another drawn-out battle that saw Alex push her American opponent to the brink, and though she ultimately lost, 6-3, she still bowed out with a smile on her face and her head held high.
This is the furthest any Filipino tennis player has gone in this level of competition, and by making history in so many ways, this still feels like a win.
Breaking into the Top 100
Alex Eala’s wins at the Miami Open have set her up for a big jump in the WTA World Rankings. Having entered the tournament as a wildcard and as World No. 140, she is now projected to break well into the Top 100, with the live rankings currently naming her 75th.
This is a massive leap for the Filipino ace. She is now the first tennis player from the Philippines to be ranked within the Top 100 of the WTA Rankings.
And as the icing on top of the cake? She is also expected to walk away with USD 332,160, prize money awarded to semifinalists.
These results do a lot for Eala’s confidence. Now knowing that she can go toe-to-toe with the best players in the world, she will gain the conviction she needs to push forward in this highly competitive field.
This will surely not be the last time we see her name on a big screen at a major tournament.
Though she didn’t make the finals, for the millions of Filipinos all over the world, Alex Eala’s Miami Open campaign already feels like a triumph.
Banner image from AFP.