Alex Eala defeated World Number 2 Iga Swiatek in the Miami Open quarterfinals, advancing to the semi-finals in a stunning upset.
This remarkable victory marks a significant milestone in Eala’s career, as she continues her historic run at the 2025 Miami Open.
The 19-year-old Filipino tennis sensation pulled off the biggest win of her young career with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Swiatek. Eala showed no signs of intimidation against one of her idols, instead displaying poise and skill as she dismantled Swiatek’s serve early on to grab control of the match.
“I don’t know what to say, I mean, complete just disbelief right now and I am on cloud nine,” Eala said in her on-court interview. “It’s forever in my heart.”
Swiatek, who was playing under heightened security after an incident with a spectator, struggled with her consistency, committing 19 unforced errors in the first set.
Despite a strong comeback attempt in the second set, Eala managed to overcome a 4-2 deficit and secure the win with her eighth break of the match.
Swiatek had this to say about her opponent, The fact that she was left-handed didnt surprise me, but the truth is, she went all out.
She made those returns quite long, and it wasnt easy to return those shots. Plus, she was very relaxed and went all out. She felt the rhythm was good, and that helped her.
I didnt know she was going to play so flat, but she was very aggressive and stayed on target the whole match. And a lot of these shots were coming out of nowhere. But I could still clearly see that she was trying to push forward and pressure me. So it worked out pretty well for her.
This victory marks Eala’s third consecutive win against Grand Slam champions in the tournament, following earlier triumphs over Jelena Ostapenko and Madison Keys. She had advanced to the quarterfinals after Paula Badosa withdrew due to injury.
Eala now awaits the winner of the quarterfinal match between Jessica Pegula and Emma Raducanu in the semi-finals.
Her achievement makes her the first Filipino player to reach a WTA 1000 semi-final and the first to defeat a top-10 player since the WTA rankings began in 1975.
