Filipina tennis star Alex Eala’s impressive run at the Miami Open came to an end on Friday (Manila time) as she was defeated by world No. 4 Jessica Pegula, 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-3, in the semifinals at Hard Rock Stadium.
Eala displayed dominance in the first set, racing to a 5-2 lead before her opponent mounted a comeback to take the set.
The 19-year-old Pinay athlete had a chance to serve for the set at 5-3, but a pair of double faults derailed her momentum, allowing Pegula to break back and narrow the gap to 5-4. With the advantage shifting, Pegula took control in the tiebreak to clinch the opening set.
Determined to fight back, Eala relied on her effective strategies, but a timeout early in the second set was called as she had her ankle attended to, with Pegula ahead 3-1.
After pulling ahead to a 4-3 lead, Eala saw Pegula surge back with two consecutive points, taking a 5-4 lead. Serving to stay alive, Eala capitalized on Pegula’s errors, hitting a forehand winner and an ace to tie the set.
Pegula’s continued mistakes handed Eala the lead, and she held serve to send the match to a final set.
At 3-3 in the third set, Eala’s forehand faltered, allowing Pegula to break for a 5-3 lead, which she held onto, eventually closing out the match to reach the final against Aryna Sabalenka.
Even with the loss, the Filipina made history by becoming the first player from the Philippines to reach the semifinals of a WTA 1000 event, having defeated several top-ranked players in the tournament.
She first secured a career-defining win by beating world No. 5 Madison Keys, knocking her out of the WTA 1000 Miami Open.
Eala advanced to the quarterfinals of the Miami Open after world No. 11 Paula Badosa of Spain withdrew from their Round of 16 match due to a lower back injury.
From there, she took on world No. 2 Iga Swiatek and secured another victory, earning her a spot in the semifinals of the tournament.
After her remarkable performance, Eala is expected to officially break into the top 100 when the WTA unveils its newest rankings.
In addition, she will secure her biggest paycheck from one tournament, taking home $332,160 (over P19 million).
