The 2024 US Open finalist is too big a hurdle for teen sensation Alexandra Eala.
Tournament surprise Alexandra Eala narrowly missed out on the next sensational success at the Miami Open. The 19-year-old tennis player from the Philippines narrowly lost in the semi-finals to the American Jessica Pegula. After a sacrificial fight, Eala lost to the 2024 US Open finalist 6-7 (3-7), 7-5, 3-6 after 2 hours and 25 minutes.
Eala, ranked 140th in the world before the tournament, narrowly missed out on the next chapter of her dream journey. She knocked out superstar Iga Swiatek in two sets in the quarterfinals of the high-profile WTA tournament, and in the final she would have faced world number one Aryna Sabalenka, who easily beat Italian Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-2.
Eala was initially very disappointed after the match, but her performance filled her with pride. “I literally gave everything I had, I’m half tape, I’m like a mummy,” she joked. “I gave it my all and I have no regrets.” “For a run like that, the stars have to align, and they did this week, and hopefully I can keep this up – that’s my goal now,” she added.
Earlier, Eala, who had only two career WTA Tour titles prior to the tournament, knocked out two other former Grand Slam champions, Yelena Ostapenko and Australian Open champion Madison Keys. She was the lowest-ranked semi-finalist in the history of the tournament.
Eala, who until recently had mainly competed on the Challenger Tour, moved to Mallorca at the age of 13 to train at Rafael Nadal’s academy.
