Photo credit: WTA

Filipina tennis sensation Alex Eala just pulled off the biggest win of her young career—and she’s still trying to wrap her head around it. The 19-year-old wild card delivered a jaw-dropping performance at the Miami Open, shocking World No. 2 Iga Swiatek 6-2, 7-5 to book her spot in the first WTA semifinal of her career.

“I’m in complete disbelief right now. I’m on cloud nine,” a breathless Eala said in her on-court interview.

The moment became even more surreal when she was shown a photo from her graduation at the Rafa Nadal Academy less than two years ago—standing right next to Swiatek.

“It’s so surreal,” she said, still in shock. “I feel like I’m the exact same person as 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.”

And compete she did. Eala not only held her own but dominated at times, proving she belonged on the same court as the four-time Grand Slam champion.

A Historic Breakthrough for Philippine Tennis

With this win, Eala becomes the first Filipina to reach a tour-level semifinal and is now guaranteed a spot in the Top 100 of the WTA rankings next Monday. She also joins an exclusive club—only two other wild cards, Justine Henin (2010) and Victoria Azarenka (2018), have reached the Miami Open semifinals before.

Her Miami Open run has been nothing short of extraordinary. She has now beaten three Grand Slam champions—Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys, and Swiatek—in a single tournament, a feat only a handful of players have achieved. Before this week, Eala had never beaten a Top 40 player. Now, she owns two victories over the Top 10.

Even Swiatek was impressed, admitting that Eala’s aggressive play left her struggling to find answers.

“She went all in,” Swiatek said. “She was pretty loosened up and just went for it.”

Fearless Tennis and a Mind of Steel

Eala’s fearless tennis set the tone from the start. The opening stretch of the match was a battle, with the first four games alone lasting over 25 minutes. But while Swiatek may have expected Eala to fold under pressure, the young Filipina only got stronger.

She pounced on every opportunity, using her lethal left-handed forehand and sharp returns to keep Swiatek off balance. Even when Swiatek rallied from 2-0 down in the second set to take a 4-2 lead, Eala refused to back down. Instead, she flipped the script again, winning five of the last six games to seal the biggest win of her life.

Swiatek’s struggles were clear, racking up 32 unforced errors—many of them forced by Eala’s relentless play. In the final moments, Swiatek’s usually rock-solid game crumbled, with three wild forehand errors handing Eala her historic victory.

“I Didn’t Even Know How to Celebrate”

Even after the match, Eala was still processing what had happened.

“I couldn’t decide whether to scream or cry,” she laughed. “I was so in the moment, and I made it a point to stay in the moment every point, so it’s hard to realize what just happened.”

She credits her ability to stay composed under pressure to her upbringing. Her mother, Rizza Maniego-Eala, was a Southeast Asian Games swimming medalist and a top corporate executive, while her uncle, Noli Eala, is a former commissioner of the Philippine Basketball Association.

“It’s not something I learned in the academy,” she said. “It’s something I’ve gotten from my family. They’ve guided me through this, and I think it’s part of our values.”

One More Step to the Final

Eala’s Cinderella run isn’t over yet. She will next face No. 4 seed Jessica Pegula for a chance to make her first-ever WTA final.
Regardless of what happens next, Eala has already made history—and Philippine tennis fans are buzzing with excitement.

From a promising junior to a WTA semifinalist, the journey has been incredible. And if this week in Miami is any indication, the best is yet to come.