Alex Eala’s run of her career continues on in Miami as she took down world no. 2 Iga Swiatek in straight sets, making her first semifinals at a WTA 1000 event
The Cinderella run continues for Filipina tennis ace Alex Eala, shocking the world once again with a two-set win over world no. 2 Iga Swiatek, 6-2, 7-5, in the quarterfinals of the Miami Open on Wednesday (Early Thursday morning, Manila time).
Eala, ranked world no. 140 at the moment, played the best tennis of her career, especially in set 1 where she pushed Swiatek to the brink with an unbelievable run from an initial 0-1 deficit to a 6-2 win — which included a two-game streak where she scored eight unanswered points.
[RELATED: Alex Eala beats Iga Swiatek at the Miami Open for biggest win of her career]
After the match, the 19-year-old spoke about being able to compete with the likes of Swiatek, as the on-court interviewer drew parallels on Eala’s graduation from the Rafa Nadal Academy two years ago, where the Polish superstar posed for a photo with Eala during the ceremonies.
“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 and I’m just so happy and I’m so blessed to be able to compete with a such a player on this stage,” said Eala.
Though impressive in set 1, the Filipina hitter also showed off her resilience in set 2 when she battled back from a 2-4 and a 4-5 deficit after Swiatek seemingly took control following Eala’s 2-0 start.
Asked about the secret to her victory, Eala still couldn’t quite believe the result herself. But she had one thing in mind for sure: it was all hard work.
“That’s a heavy question. I don’t know [what I did]. [But] 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,” Eala said.
During her interview, Eala also thanked supporters who came out in Miami, as well as the Filipino fans watching from across the world.
At the end of the interview, Eala called the big win over Swiatek, which marked three straight wins over former Grand Slam champions for the Filipina in Miami, as one of the biggest highlights of her career.
“It’s forever in my heart,” said Eala.
Eala thus awaits the winner of the other quarterfinal between former US Open champion Emma Raducanu and world no. 4 Jessica Pegula in the semifinals.