Alex Eala of the Philippines reacts at match point after defeating Iga Swiatek of Poland on Day 9 of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium on March 26, 2025 in Miami Gardens, Florida. | Al Bello/Getty Images/AFP
MIAMI GARDENS, Florida — Alex Eala continues her impressive run in the Miami Open, stunning No. 2 seed Iga Swiatek in a straight-set women’s quarterfinal.
Eala, ranked 140th, is on the verge of becoming the first star player to ever come out of the Philippines after topping Swiatek 6-2, 7-5.
“There is a lot of emotions, definitely,’’ said Eala, who had never beaten a top 40 player. “Happiness has to be on the top of the whole list.’’
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Eala became the third wild card to reach the Miami Open semifinals, following Justine Henin in 2010 and Victoria Azarenka in 2018.
Eala has beaten three major winners during her remarkable run — Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys and Swiatek, a five-time Grand Slam winner from Poland.
She never rattled as the first four games went to at least one deuce and five of the first six games were service breaks. Swiatek held serve just twice in the match and committed 32 unforced errors in the one hour, 39-minute battle.
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Though Eala represents the Philippines, she has lived the last six years in Mallorca, training at the Rafael Nadal Tennis Academy.
“I would love to think that I make a difference,’’ Eala said. “That’s the only thing I can do to give back to my country is to help inspire, to inspire change and positive change, to inspire people to pick up a racket, to watch more tennis, watch more women’s tennis.’’
Swiatek broke Eala in the first game, but the teenager broke right back. The first two games took 15 minutes to play and she never lost her poise.
“I don’t have a lot of experience on the WTA Tour, that’s for sure, but I do have experience with compartmentalizing,’’ Eala said. “ I have experience with being professional. I have no hesitation to bring that part of me out when I’m on court.’’
Swiatek held serve just twice in the match, with Eala pounding service returns with her big forehand. It marked Swiatek’s third loss to a player ranked outside the top 100 in a WTA main draw.
“Her being a lefty didn’t surprise me, but for sure, like, she went all in,’’ Swiatek said. “She made these returns in and pretty long, and so it wasn’t easy to hit it back. She was pretty loosened up and just went for it.’’
On set point, Swiatek rapped a forehand long, ending the set in 42 minutes.
Eala advances to Thursday’s semifinals, where she will face either Jessica Pegula of the U.S. or Emma Raducanu of Britain, who play Wednesday night.