Alexandra Eala shared a touching message on social media after her fairytale run at the Miami Open officially came to an end. The teenage wildcard had only won two WTA Tour-level matches in her career before this fortnight but she enjoyed a statement breakthrough, beating three Grand Slam champions on her way to the semi-final. The world No.
140 lost a tight three-set semi-final to Jessica Pegula on Thursday. After having some time to reflect on her breakout run, Eala thanked her supporters in a new statement. She may not have won the title but Eala became one of the biggest stories of the tournament in Miami.
The 19-year-old received a wildcard into the WTA 1000 and certainly made the most of it, storming into the last four in impressive fashion. The Rafa Nadal Academy alum beat 2017 French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko in the second round before upsetting recent Australian Open champion Madison Keys. Eala then got a walkover when Paula Badosa pulled out of her fourth-round match.
In the quarter-final, the teenager pulled off arguably the biggest upset of the season so far , stunning world No. 2 and five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek in straight sets. The Filipino tennis star put up an admirable fight against Pegula in the semi-final but the American came out on top, winning 7-6(3) 5-7 6-3.
Eala was still delighted with her efforts, sitting on her bench and celebrating the tennis she showed throughout the fortnight. The 19-year-old earned plenty of fans during the tour.
