Eala continues historic Miami Open run with Swiatek upset
Alexandra Eala produced another shock at the 2025 Miami Open on Thursday morning (AEDT), defeating second seed Iga Swiatek in straight sets to become the first Filipino women’s tennis player to make the semi-finals of a WTA 1000 event.
The 19-year-old had already made history by beating fifth seed Madison Keys in the third round to notch her nation’s first-ever victory over a top-10 opponent.
A walkover in the fourth round shot her into a maiden WTA Tour quarter-final, where she was an enormous underdog across tennis betting sites to upset five-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek.
But odds of +900 to win at BetOnline did not phase the world No.140, who played an ultra-aggressive style of tennis to generate an incredible eight breaks of serve en route to a 6-2, 7-5 victory.
“My game plan was to stick to what I know and run,” Eala said after the biggest victory of her short career.
“I’ve been loving the way I’ve been feeling on court.
“I’m trusting my shots, and I have a great team that tells me I can do it.
“Take it early, and not to be afraid. Not to be afraid to miss.
“It’s normal that I would miss some, but I cannot be afraid to continue to do what I know I have to do.”
Swiatek — who had been second-favourite at BetOnline to win the Miami Open — shared afterwards that she was taken off-guard by Eala’s aggression.
“I didn’t know she’s going to play that flat, but besides that, she was really aggressive and she kept her focus,” she said.
“I don’t know, some of these shots were pretty like out of nowhere.
“But still, I could see clearly she has intentions to go forward and to push.
“So it worked for her today, for sure.”
Tennis bookmakers still have Eala as a long shot to win the Miami Open, with world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka the heavy favourite to claim her second title of the year.
However, Eala believes that regardless of how her next match pans out, this week has been a step in the right direction.
“I think every single player here has envisioned themselves as a successful tennis player,” she said.
“This is the goal, to do well on the WTA Tour, to win Slams.
“In the end, the goal is to win Slams, to get the rankings.
“I think this is a good step towards where I want to be.”
Eala takes on the winner of Emma Raducanu and Jessica Pegula in the semi-finals, with the pair set to play later on Thursday.