Alexandra Eala stunned World No 2 Iga Swiatek to reach the Miami Open semi-finals and make history for tennis in the Philippines. The teenage wildcard defeated an out-of-sorts Swiatek 6-2 7-5 and will now play either fourth seed Jessica Pegula or Britain's Emma Raducanu for a place in the final.
World No 140 Eala broke further ground in Miami by becoming the first player from the Philippines to reach a WTA 1000 semi-final.
The wildcard has now beaten three grand slam champions on her way to the final four; having previously beaten reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys and 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, Eala did not blink as she knocked out five-time grand slam winner Swiatek in straight sets.
The 19-year-old, who won the US Open girls title in 2022, is a graduate of Rafael Nadal’s tennis academy in Mallorca, moving there from the Philippines when she was just 13. She is coached by Nadal’s uncle, Toni Nadal, and is also left-handed, like the Spanish 22-time grand slam winner.
Eala, who had played just two matches on the WTA Tour prior to receiving a wildcard into main draw of the Miami Open, will move into the top-100 for the first time. Swiatek had not lost to an opponent ranked outside the top-100 in four years.
“I don’t know what to say!” Eala said in her on-court interview. “I’m in complete disbelief right now. I’m on cloud nine. Thank you everyone who came to watch and thanks to everyone who is watching back home.
“It’s so surreal. I’m so happy and so blessed to compete against such a player on such a stage. My coach told me to run, to go for every ball, to take every opportunity you can, because a five-time grand slam champion is not going to give you the win. This is forever in my heart.”
The defeat continues a difficult run for former World No 1 Swiatek, who was playing under increased security protection after being verbally abused by a man during a practice session in Miami on Saturday. A statement from Swiatek’s team said the man had also sent the five-time grand slam winner harassing messages online.
The Polish player, who is without a title in 2025, took to Instagram following her semi-final defeat in Indian Wells earlier this month to criticise “unhealthy standards” and “constant judgement”, saying that the last few months had been “extremely challenging” following her one-month suspension for a doping violation.
