MIAMI, March 27, 2025: Alexandra Eala, a 19-year-old wildcard from the Philippines, pulled off a stunning upset at the Miami Open on Wednesday, defeating world number two Iga Swiatek 6-2, 7-5 to reach the semifinals.
Ranked 140th in the world, Eala, the first woman from the Philippines to reach the quarterfinals of a WTA 1000 tournament, capitalized on an unusually poor performance from Swiatek, staying focused as she fought back from 4-2 down in the second set.
Eala broke Swiatek for the eighth and final time when the Polish player was serving to stay in the match at 6-5 in the second set, and Eala struggled to contain her emotions in disbelief.
“It’s just surreal,” said Eala, who has now defeated three Grand Slam champions to reach the semifinals at Miami, having previously overcome Jelena Ostapenko and Madison Keys before surprising four-time French Open champion Swiatek.
“I’m trusting my shots, and I have a great team to remind me I can do this,” she added.
Eala moved to Spain at the age of 13 to join Rafael Nadal’s academy in Mallorca.
She will face the winner of Wednesday’s quarterfinal between Britain’s Emma Raducanu and American Jessica Pegula.