ANOTHER upset was pulled off, when Filipina tennis star Alex Eala defeated Polish world ranked No. 2 Iga Swiatek to reach the semi-finals of the 2025 Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium.
Eala appears to have no intentions to go home just yet, as the Filipina teen continues to forge her name in the tennis history books, defeating the heavily favored Swiatek 6-2, 7-5 early Thursday (PH Time).
Despite entering the tournament as a wild card with no expectations, the 19-year-old phenom has continued to surprise everyone, rising to the occasion and showing no fear against veterans and higher-seeded opponents.
Surprise, Surprise
Eala began her biggest career victory with a solid start, as she had in prior matches. She won the first set 6-2, as Swiatek made 19 unforced errors, an uncommon instance for the Polish superstar.
Continuing her momentum from the first set, the world No. 140 opened the second set leading 2-0, but Swiatek showed her championship poise and regained her composure midway through the set.
The world No. 2 player won four consecutive games to establish a 4-2 lead. Just when everything appeared to be going her way, Eala responded with two straight wins to square the game 4-4.
Trying to change the tide, the Polish great broke the ice, taking the lead 5-4. However, every time Swiatek makes a run, Eala has all of the answers, securing the victory and continuing her historic Cinderella run.
HERstory Written
Eala entered the competition as a wildcard and advanced to the quarterfinals after shockingly defeating three Top 25 women before facing the five-time Grand Slam champion in the round of 8.
She eliminated world No. 25 Jeļena Ostapenko and advanced to the round-of-32, where she defeated world No. 5 Madison Keys. In the round-of-16, she received a walkover when world No. 11 Paula Badosa withdrew due to a back injury.
“I’m in complete disbelief right now. I’m on cloud nine. So thank you everybody who came to watch, and thanks to everyone who’s watching from home,” said Eala, shortly after her stunning win.
“My coach told me to run, to go for every ball, take all the opportunities I can because a five-time Grand Slam champion is not gonna give you the win,” she went on to say, reflecting on her spectacular performance.
Meanwhile, Eala had an emotional moment as she recalled her photo with Swiatek from two years ago, when she graduated from the Rafa Nadal Academy. In addition to that, her family and two Nadal coaches, Joan Bosch and Toni Nadal, were present.
“It means a lot that he showed up. It showed his confidence and the confidence of the Academy in me,” said Eala, who was seemingly emotional while talking at the Tennis Channel desk.
“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. I’m so happy and so blessed to be able to compete with such a player on this stage,” she added.
Cinderella Run Continues
Meanwhile, Eala will get a much-needed rest day before facing the winner of the quarterfinal match between Emma Raducana and world No. 4 Jessica Pagula in the semi-finals tomorrow.
No matter what happens, the Filipina teen will continue to shoot for the stars and give it her all to get through the challenging times ahead. Following the big triumph, her world rankings have risen to 75 from 140.
If Eala continues her spectacular run to the finals, she will face Belarusian world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka or Italy’s Jasmine Paolini, who will face off in the semis after handling their respective assignments.
