Alexandra Eala of the Philippines returns a shot against Madison Keys of the United States during their match on day 6 at Hard Rock Stadium on March 23, 2025 in Miami Gardens, Florida. Rich Storry, Getty Images/AFP

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - MARCH 23: Alexandra Eala of the Philippines returns a shot against Madison Keys of the United States during their match on day 6 at Hard Rock Stadium on March 23, 2025 in Miami Gardens, Florida.   Rich Storry/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Rich Storry / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

Miami Open Presented by Itau 2025 - Day 6

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1742791270492AFP__20250323__2206554540__v1__HighRes__MiamiOpenPresentedByItau2025Day6.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Alexandra Eala of the Philippines returns a shot against Madison Keys of the United States during their match on day 6 at Hard Rock Stadium on March 23, 2025 in Miami Gardens, Florida. Rich Storry, Getty Images/AFP"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Alexandra Eala of the Philippines returns a shot against Madison Keys of the United States during their match on day 6 at Hard Rock Stadium on March 23, 2025 in Miami Gardens, Florida. <em>Rich Storry, Getty Images/AFP</em></span></span></span></div><p>MIAMI GARDENS -- Alex Eala wrote her name in tennis history on Sunday when the 19-year-old Filipina defeated Australian Open champion Madison Keys from the Miami Open.</p><p>She became the first woman from the Philippines to beat a top-10 opponent since the ranking system came into being 50 years ago.</p><p>It was a result that Eala celebrated with spontaneity and emotion, hugging her team while on the brink of tears.</p><p>A little later, more composed but still struggling to comprehend her achievement, Eala tried to put it into context.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/othersports/2025/3/23/tennis-alex-eala-pulls-off-another-stunner-ousts-madison-keys-in-miami-0418">READ: Alex Eala pulls off another stunner, ousts Madison Keys in Miami</a></div><p>&quot;It&#x27;s a big thing to take in, and I feel it&#x27;s important for me to take it in step by step. I&#x27;m so super proud of what I was able to accomplish, but it definitely fuels me more,&quot; she said.</p><p>&quot;I know and it&#x27;s in my mind that I have a next match, but I need to stop, and I need to recognize that what I did today was really amazing. I think my reaction on court, you know, sums up pretty much how I feel about it,&quot; she said.</p><p>When Eala was a 13-year-old girl, growing up in the Philippines, her talent was evident and her family made the difficult decision to send her to Spain to Rafael Nadal&#x27;s academy in Mallorca.</p><p>There is no doubt that the access to the quality of coaching and facilities that the Spaniard makes available has helped Eala to grow into the 2022 US Open girls&#x27; singles champion and now a real contender on the WTA Tour.</p><p>But Eala knows that her road to the big stage began earlier than that move.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>- Credit to family -</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cvRZ8XAQ7ZI?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></div><p>&quot;The academy has been my home for the past seven years. Of course, my family should take credit for the foundation that they laid out before they sent me there.&quot; she said.</p><p>&quot;But of course, the academy was able to build on that foundation in such a way that I&#x27;m able to be where I am now. And I think the combination of everything that I&#x27;ve been through since I started tennis is what has led to this moment and what has led to me having all these opportunities,&quot; she added.</p><p>Eala says it was a tough decision for her family to send her away to Europe at such a young age, although the fact that her brother Miko also signed up for the academy made it easier for her parents.</p><p>But as close as Eala evidently is to her family, she said she knew it was the right move.</p><p>&quot;It was definitely a big decision for me, for us. As soon as I heard that, I jumped at the opportunity because I knew that I had to get out of the country eventually to improve,&quot; she added.</p><p>Eala gained her passion for the game through playing with her grandfather who was a keen club player and coached her brother and cousins before turning his attention to the youngster.</p><p>&quot;I was kind of the next in line to do that and to spend time with him. It eventually blossomed into the career I have now,&quot; she said.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/2025/3/21/alex-eala-earns-major-upset-beats-world-25-jelena-ostapenko-in-miami-open-2nd-round-1336">READ: Alex Eala earns major upset, beats World #25 Jelena Ostapenko in Miami Open 2nd round</a></div><p>Her big win came the day after another Asian member of the Nadal Academy, Hong Kong&#x27;s Coleman Wong, pulled off a stunning win of his own in Miami, beating American 13th seed Ben Shelton.</p><p>The two are good friends and Eala was delighted to see his victory less than 24 hours before her own triumph.</p><p>&quot;I&#x27;m super happy for him and to see someone that I&#x27;ve known for so long do so well is definitely an inspiration. Not just to me, but I feel in general a lot of people can take inspiration from him,&quot; she said.</p><p>But while she hopes that her victory will provide hope and motivation for other young players from her homeland, there is an understandable reluctance at such a young age to become an instant role model.</p><p>&quot;The young kids, the youth in the Philippines, they don&#x27;t need to take inspiration from me. They can take inspiration from anyone they want. You know, they can take inspiration from other things, which is what I did growing up,&quot; she said.</p><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div>

<p>Alex Eala is the first woman from the Philippines to beat a top-10 opponent since the ranking system came into being 50 years ago. 💪 #MiamiOpen</p>

Alex Eala is the first woman from the Philippines to beat a top-10 opponent since the ranking system came into being 50 years ago. 💪 #MiamiOpen

Tennis: Emotional Eala credits family for rise up WTA ranks | ABS-CBN

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Tennis: Emotional Eala credits family for rise up WTA ranks

Tennis: Emotional Eala credits family for rise up WTA ranks

Agence France-Presse,

Simon Evans

Published Mar 24, 2025 12:42 PM PHT

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