Teenage wildcard Alexandra Eala achieved a remarkable feat at the Miami Open, defeating No. 2 seed Iga Swiatek 6-2, 7-5 to advance to her first WTA semifinal. Eala recovered from a 4-2 deficit in the second set.

In an on-court interview, an excited Eala expressed her disbelief and joy. She mentioned feeling unchanged from a photo taken at her Rafa Nadal Academy graduation with Swiatek, but acknowledged the changed circumstances. Eala emphasized her happiness and gratitude for the opportunity to compete against such a high-level player. She shared her coach`s advice to fight for every point and seize every chance against a five-time Grand Slam champion.

Key stats of Eala`s surprising victory:

At 19 years old, Eala is the first player from the Philippines to reach a WTA tour-level semifinal. She is also set to become the first Filipina to break into the Top 100 of the WTA rankings next week. She is the third wildcard to reach the Miami semifinals, following Justine Henin (2010) and Victoria Azarenka (2018), both former World No. 1s returning from breaks.

Ranked No. 140, Eala`s Miami run includes wins over Jelena Ostapenko and Madison Keys. She is only the second wildcard to defeat three or more Grand Slam champions in a single WTA event, after Elina Svitolina at Wimbledon 2023. Before Miami, Eala had never beaten a Top 40 player, nor faced a Top 20 opponent; she now has two Top 10 wins.

This is only Swiatek`s third loss to a player outside the Top 100 in a WTA main draw. Her previous losses were against Karolina Muchova (No. 106) at Prague 2019 and Ana Konjuh (No. 338) at Miami 2021.

Eala`s next opponent will be either No. 4 seed Jessica Pegula or Emma Raducanu, as she aims for her first WTA final.

How Eala Secured the Victory?

The match began intensely, with the first four games lasting over 25 minutes and going to deuce. Five of the first six games were breaks of serve. Eala demonstrated her ability to compete with the major champion and maintain composure despite long rallies and lead changes.

After Swiatek broke back for 3-2, seemingly shifting momentum, Eala responded by winning eight straight points and five games to lead 2-0 in the second set.

Eala`s forehand was particularly effective, earning her three winners in one game to break for 3-1 in the first set. She also varied her play with backhands and drop shots, keeping Swiatek off balance.

At 2-0 in the second set, a double fault from Eala and a strong Swiatek forehand return led to Swiatek taking four straight games to lead 4-2. However, she couldn`t maintain this level.

Swiatek`s unforced errors continued, totaling 13 in the second set after 19 in the first. While Eala`s consistency initially forced errors, the second set saw shorter, more erratic rallies. Swiatek failed to serve out the set at 5-4 and made crucial forehand errors in the final game. On match point, Eala`s deep return forced a backhand error from Swiatek, sealing the win.