USA (not pictured)
on day six of the Miami Open at
Hard Rock Stadium. — REUTERS/GEOFF BURKE-IMAGN IMAGES
AND Alexandra “Alex” Eala’s Cinderella run continued with the biggest win not only of her career but of the entire Philippine tennis.
A wildcard entry among the sport’s biggest stars, Ms. Eala took down another heavyweight in world No. 5 Madison Keys of the United States, 6-4, 6-2, to barge into the 2025 Miami Open Round of 16 on Monday at the Hardrock Stadium in Florida.
On the heels of a massive win against world No. 25 Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, Ms. Eala braved on and scored an ever greater feat in the Round of 32 at the expense of the American ace at home.
Ms. Eala, WTA No. 140, needed only 87 minutes to trample Ms. Keys, who’s coming off a stunning championship run in the Australian Open last January.
Ms. Keys’ served as the second big fish in Ms. Eala’s frying pan after upsetting former French Open champion Ms. Ostapenko in the Round of 64.
Not only did Ms. Eala slay two Grand Slam champions but she also became the first Filipina player in history to beat a Top-25 and Top-5 player in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings.
Ms. Eala did it behind a flawless game, banking on a 3-1 blitz in the first set before repelling Ms. Keys’ furious comeback by owning the last two games.
She then flaunted the same composure in the second set, blanking Ms. Keys in the last four games to break away from a deadlock at two games each.
Prior to Mses. Ostapenko and Keys, Ms. Eala also drubbed world No. 73 Katie Volynets of the USA, 6-3, 7-6(3), in the Round of 128.
“I feel like growing up, it was tough because you didn’t have anyone from where you are to pave the way (for you). Of course you had many people to look up to around the world but I hope this takes Philippine tennis to another step,” said Ms. Eala, who jumped, shouted and cried in euphoria after a monumental victory.
Ms. Eala, who has trained at Rafa Nadal’s academy in Mallorca since she was 13, required a medical timeout for what appeared to be a leg injury but was a force from the baseline against Ms. Keys, who reached the Indian Wells semifinal last week.
But the Filipina tennister is not done yet, setting her sights on another top-ranked player in WTA No. 10 Spain’s Paula Badosa, who scored a 6-3, 7-6(3) win over Denmark’s Clara Tauson, in the Round of 16.
At stake for Ms. Eala is her first-ever quarterfinal stint in the WTA 1000 tourney for another history. — John Bryan Ulanday
