WTA rising talent Alexandra Eala has completed a stunning upset against World No. 2 Iga Swiatek to reach the 2025 Miami Open semifinals. With the victory, the 19-year-old has made history with several records.
By reaching the semifinal, Eala has equalized Justine Henin (2010) and Victoria Azarenka (2018) by achieving the best result as a wild card since at the Miami Open since the tournament’s inception. However, both Azarenka and Henin did it after both of them were World No. 1 but were returning from lengthy breaks.
Eala has made history as the first player from the Philippines to reach a tour-level semifinal and is set to become the first Filipina to break into the Top 100 of the WTA Rankings next Monday.
Ranked No. 140, Eala’s impressive run this fortnight includes victories over Jelena Ostapenko and Madison Keys. She is just the second wild card to defeat three or more Grand Slam champions in a single tour-level tournament, a feat last achieved by Elina Svitolina at Wimbledon 2023.
Before Miami, she had never beaten a Top 40 player or faced an opponent in the Top 20—now, she has secured two Top 10 wins. Now, she expects rival from Emma Raducanu and Jessica Pegula.
Swiatek keeps without winning
Swiatek’s defeat marks only the third time she has lost to a player ranked outside the Top 100 in a WTA main draw. She previously fell to Karolina Muchova (No. 106) in Prague 2019’s opening round and Ana Konjuh (No. 338) in the third round of Miami 2021.
On the other hand, Swiatek’s last final appearance came at Roland Garros last year. Since winning the 2024 French Open, she has competed in 10 tournaments without reaching another final.