Alexandra Eala attracted attention as a rising star, defeating Australian Open champion Madison Keys 6-4, 6-2 in the third round of the Miami Open. Her impressive victory solidified her status as a promising new talent in the sport.
The 19-year-old athlete from the Philippines advanced to the next round to play a last-16 match against Spain’s Paula Badosa. However, Badosa was forced to withdraw from their scheduled match due to a back injury. So, Eala’s impressive run will continue into the quarter-finals at the Miami Open. She will now face the winner of the match between Iga Swiatek and Elina Svitolina.
A social media post by WTA shared: “Into the quarterfinals 😮💨 Due to Paula Badosa’s withdrawal from the Miami Open, @alex.eala will play in her first WTA 1000 quarterfinals! #MiamiOpen”
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Netizens expressed their excitement for Eala. One netizen admitted: “Go out & enjoy the moment, Alex ❤️ First M1000 QF! ¡Vamos! Also, get well soon, Paula ❤️”
Another remarked: “She incredible, I saw her against Penko, beat Keys and now Badosa , all ranked 👏”, “Laban Pilipinas! Let’s go @alex.eala 🙏🇵🇭”, “Odds are in your favor Alex!!! Let’s put up a fight!!! Lezzgoo.”
Eala’s current performance
Entering the second leg of the Sunshine Double as a wildcard, Eala has yet to drop a set and also claimed a straight-set victory over former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko in round two.
Despite being ranked 135 spots below Keys coming into their match, the young athlete stunned everyone by breaking her opponent six times, securing a victory that propelled her into the fourth round of a WTA 1000 event for the first time in her career.
Eala’s tennis background
The Filipina began playing tennis at the age of four and participated in the WTA Future Star event in both 2016 and 2017.
A left-handed player, she has been training at Rafael Nadal’s Academy in Mallorca since the age of 13. She also comes from a highly athletic family, which has supported her journey in the sport.
Her mother, Rosemarie Maniego-Eala, was a professional swimmer who won a bronze medal at the 1985 Southeast Asian Games, while her brother is also following in her footsteps, pursuing a career in tennis.
After turning pro, Eala made her WTA Tour debut in the qualifying rounds of the 2021 Miami Open. She also has a junior Grand Slam title, having won the 2022 US Open in the girls’ singles meet.
She has also won five titles on the ITF Circuit, and her best result at a WTA 1000 tournament came with a second-round appearance at the 2024 Madrid Open. Despite entering the qualifying rounds for the Grand Slam tournaments six times, she has yet to feature in the main draw of any of tennis’ four major events.