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ADORED. Alexandra Eala (PHL) waves to fans from her player's chair after her match against Jessica Pegula (USA) (not pictured) in a women's singles semifinal on day ten of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium.
Geoff Burke/Imagn Images/Reuters
Alex Eala waves and blows kisses to fans who gave her a standing ovation for a wonderful Miami Open run that saw her reach the semifinals and shock three Grand Slam champions
MANILA, Philippines – It may not have been the storybook ending Alex Eala had hoped for her Cinderella run, but she still held her head high after her Miami Open exit.
Eala radiated with gratitude even after seeing her historic campaign come to a halt following a 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-3 loss to world No. 4 Jessica Pegula of the United States in the semifinals.
The first Filipino to reach the final four of a Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 1000 event, Eala flashed a bright smile after the match, basking in the adoration of the Hard Rock Stadium crowd who witnessed her turn from a relatively unknown wild card into one of the most exciting players of the tournament.
She waved and blew kisses to fans who gave her a standing ovation for a wonderful stint that saw her shock three Grand Slam champions in a row.
Eala has a lot of positives to take from the Miami Open as she proved that she can beat the best in the world, among them world No. 2 Iga Swiatek, No. 5 Madison Keys, and No. 25 Jelena Ostapenko.
The 19-year-old stunned the three — all major winners — without dropping a set.
Eala also trounced world No. 73 Katie Volynets as she made it past the opening round in Miami for the first time after bowing out early in the past four editions — a win that started her avalanche of upset victories.
“She’s really good. A really good tennis player. Goes for her shots, takes the ball early, rips. Being a lefty’s always tricky. Competes really well,” said Pegula.
By advancing to the semifinals, Eala earned valuable tour points that catapulted her to the top 100 for the first time, with the lefty standout, who is currently ranked No. 140 in the world, set to climb to No. 75 when the WTA officially releases its new rankings on Monday, March 31.
That means Eala will gain direct entry to the Grand Slam tournaments — no need to go through the qualifying rounds.
Eala had tried and failed to get to the main draw of a Grand Slam, going as far as the third qualifying round of the French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open last year.
“She’s beaten a lot of top players this week. I don’t really think she needs me to tell her that she’s a great player, that we’re not going to see enough of her, but we definitely are,” said Pegula.
Aside from notching a new career-high ranking, Eala will also pocket a hefty prize of $332,160 (over P19 million) — her biggest purse from a single tournament. – Rappler.com
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