Eala Takes Down Swiatek in Miami Quarterfinals!

Alexandra Eala pulled off the day’s biggest upset in the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 in Miami by defeating world No. 2 Iga Swiatek (6-2, 7-5).

Under the watchful eye of Toni Nadal, who was present in the stands, the world No. 140 delivered a flawless performance, building on her earlier wins against Ostapenko and Keys. By constantly pressuring Swiatek (who committed 19 unforced errors in the first set), Eala quickly took control of the score and closed out the opening set after securing four breaks.

The world No. 2 tried to mount a comeback, serving for the second set at 5-4, but Eala refused to back down and ultimately won the next three games to seal the victory after 1 hour and 45 minutes of play.

At just 19 years old and playing as a wildcard, the Filipino player has now reached her first WTA 1000 semifinal, having already taken down three Grand Slam champions along the way.

She will break into the Top 100 on Monday, potentially rising as high as No. 75, and will next face either Emma Raducanu or Jessica Pegula.

As for Swiatek, she will need to learn from this defeat ahead of the clay-court season, where she will have many points to defend (including titles at Madrid, Rome, and Roland Garros).