MANILA, Philippines, March 27 ------ Alex Eala’s Cinderella run in the Miami Open is not ending anytime soon. The World No. 140 Filipina scored the biggest upset yet in the tournament, bringing down World No. 2 Iga Swiatek in straight sets, 6-2, 7-5, early Thursday morning (Manila time).
Eala, who was a wildcard entry in the Miami Open, dominated the error-riddled Swiatek and listed her as the latest victim in a spree of upsets in the tournament. She thus punched a ticket to the tournament’s semifinals, where she will face either World No. 60 Emma Raducanu or World No. 4 Jessica Pegula, who will play their own quarterfinal matchup Thursday at 7 a.m. (Manila time).
Eala dropped the first game of the first set before winning the next three. Swiatek then won the fifth game to make it 2-3, but she was blanked the rest of the way by the Filipina, who fired 10 winners in the opening frame.
Eala’s hot streak continued as she took a 2-0 lead in the second set. But Swiatek regained her bearings — showing why she won five Grand Slam titles — and rushed to a 4-2 lead. But Eala was just too good, tying things up at 4-all. After Swiatek moved to within a game from taking the second set, the Filipina dug deep while also taking advantage of the Polish tennister's erratic play to grab a 6-5 lead. And in the 12th game, Swiatek’s errors were just too much, handing Eala the victory.
'I'm on cloud nine'
After grabbing the victory, Eala stood, stunned by her unbelievable feat. “I don’t know what to say, I’m in complete disbelief right now,” she said after the match.
It was a full-circle moment for the Asian Games bronze medalist, who two years ago graduated from the Rafa Nadal in Spain. There, Swiatek and Nadal took a photo with Eala. “It’s so surreal because I feel like I’m the exact, same person that I was in that photo, but of course, circumstances have changed and I’m just so happy and blessed to be able to compete with such a player on this stage,” she added.
In the match, Swiatek notched 28 winners compared to Eala’s 16. But the former had 32 total unforced errors against just 12 for the latter, which ultimately spelled the difference. The 19-year-old pride of Quezon City won 43 receiving points compared to the Polish’s 32.
Before the biggest tennis victory in the history of the Philippines, Eala overcame tall odds every single step of the Miami Open. She first defeated World No. 73 Katie Volynets, which she then followed up with a victory over World No. 25 Jelena Ostapenko. After this, Eala became the first Filipina to defeat a Grand Slam champion after sweeping World no. 5 Madison Keys. She was then handed a spot in the quarterfinals after World No. 11 Paula Badosa withdrew due to a back injury.
In the other bracket, World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka will take on World No. 7 Jasmine Paolini for a seat in the finals.
Source: philstar.com
Editor's note:
Alex Eala faces World No. 4 Jessica Pegula in the semifinals as Pegula beat World No. 60 Emma Raducanu, 6-4, 6-7, 6-2. The semifinals match is scheduled tomorrow, March 28 at 8:30 am. After the Sabalenka - Paolini match at 3 am.
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