Alexandra Eala: From virtual unknown to global tennis sensation
The 19-year-old Filipina’s dream Miami Open run ends with narrow semi-final loss to Jessica Pegula
ALEXANDRA Eala vanquished no fewer than three former Grand Slam champions en route to the Miami Open semi-finals, but her remarkable run finally came to a halt on Friday (Mar 28) after a heartbreaking three-set loss to Jessica Pegula.
The 19-year-old sensation from the Philippines suffered defeat against the fourth-seeded American in an enthralling and exhausting battle that lasted over two hours and 24 minutes, with a full house cheering the players on even as the action went on well past midnight in local time.
In the end, it was Pegula who emerged with a 7-6, 5-7, 6-3 victory to seal her place in Saturday’s championship final against the world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who had earlier in the day beaten Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in straight sets.
The left-handed Eala – who was ranked 140th in the world before the tournament began and will surely see her ranking rocket into the top 100 soon – had only two WTA main draw victories to her name before arriving in Miami.
She obtained a wild card to participate, and proceeded to shock the world by beating three Grand Slam winners – Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys and world No 2 Iga Swiatek – to book her spot in the final four.
The lowest-ranked semi-finalist in the WTA 1000 tournament’s history, Eala seriously threatened to go one step further with another accomplished and effervescent display.
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The tide looked to have turned against her when Pegula broke Eala’s serve to go 3-1 up in the second set, but Eala quickly broke back and her fist pump and look of determination was a sign of things to come.
Eala broke Pegula three times in the set and was broken twice herself but crucially was able to hold when serving for the set at 6-5.
Both players protected their serve better in the deciding set but Eala‘s forehand let her down when the American broke to go 5-3 up, and she served out for a victory that brought her visible relief.
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“Of course, there is disappointment right after the match,” said Eala.
“But there are just so many times in tennis where you have to dig through the dirt to look for the positive, and I’m just enjoying it because there is so much positive around me and I don’t know how many times that happens.”
Playing with a strapped thigh from the outset, Eala turned her ankle mid-way through the second set but said she had not been impacted by the injury.
“I literally gave everything I had, I’m half-tape, I’m like a mummy. I did everything and I have no regrets,” she said. “To have a week like this, the stars need to align, and they did this week, and hopefully I can keep that up. That is my goal now.”
Pegula had plenty of praise for her opponent: “She’s a really good player. Goes for her shots, takes the ball early, rips, being a lefty, so it’s tricky. Competes really well. Obviously, she’s beaten a lot of top players this week. I don’t think she needs me to tell her that she’s a great player, that we’re not gonna see enough of her, but we definitely are. She proved that tonight.”
Business-like
Eala has been in a professional setting since she was 13, when she left her homeland to join Rafael Nadal’s academy in Mallorca.
For the past six years, she has lived and breathed tennis alongside top coaches and a group of players all hoping to make the journey onto the professional tour.
She said that her noticeably business-like approach was gained more from her family rather than the daily regime in Spain.
“It’s not something I learned in the academy. It’s something I’ve gotten from my experience as the things I have been through leading up to this moment.
“It’s also something my family has guided me through. It’s part of my family’s values,” she said.
“They are successful people in business. They are successful in their own fields and people I look up to. I think they lead by example when it comes to that.”
The twin influences on her career were evident in her box in the stadium during her matches against Swiatek and Pegula.
Eala’s parents had flown in from the Philippines in time to watch the big win over Swiatek, as had an uncle and cousin based in Seattle. Sitting together with them was Toni Nadal, the Spanish great’s uncle and former coach who was representing the academy.
There have been many teenagers that have made dramatic entrances into the elite level of the WTA over the years. Some have flourished and some have fallen away quickly, but few will have arrived with such self-assured professionalism as this plucky 19-year-old from Quezon City. AFP
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