Win or lose, Eala already victorious

Whatever happens, Alex Eala is already a winner after posting a string of victories that brought pride and joy to Filipinos tennis fans.

The 19-year-old Eala said her journey in the Miami Open is truly memorable, something that she will use as an inspiration to further boost her professional career.

Eala made a lot of heads turn in one of the most prestigious events outside the Grand Slam.

Despite advancing to the main draw as a wild card, Eala refused to get intimidated as she pulled the rug from under world No. 25 Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia in the Round of 64.

As if the massive win wasn’t enough, she shocked world No. 5 and reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys of the United States in the Round of 32 before scoring a walkover win over world No. 11 Paula Badosa of Spain, completely turning her from an unknown Asian netter into a giant-slayer.

Eala is facing world No. 2 Iga Swiatek of Poland at press time for a victory that will not just send her to the semifinals but will also boost her ranking and cement her lofty status in professional tennis.

‘It’s a big thing to take in, and I feel it’s important for me to take it step by step.’

Eala said the result will hardly matter; the important things are the lessons and experiences she gained all throughout her journey to the title.

“I think every, every single player here has envisioned themselves as a successful tennis player. This is the goal: To do well on the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) tour, to win (Grand) Slams,” Eala said.

“The end goal is to win slams and to get the rankings. I think this is a good step towards where I want to be.”

She added that instead of getting pressured by looking far, she takes her journey step by step — one stroke at a time.

“It’s a big thing to take in, and I feel it’s important for me to take it step by step,” Eala said.

More than the ranking and prominence, Eala will be greatly rewarded for her heroic performance in Miami.

In fact, the Filipina sensation is already assured of $189,075, or around P10.8 million, for making it to the quarterfinals on top of 215 ranking points.

And should she stun the 22-time champion Swiatek, she would bank in a whopping $332,160, or roughly P19 million, as well as 390 ranking points.

But Eala is not yet counting the stars.

Instead, she wants to take it easy and enjoy the journey in one of her finest WTA tournaments ever.

“I’m so super proud of what I was able to accomplish, but it definitely fuels me more,” Eala said.

“I need to stop and I need to recognize that what I did today was really amazing and I think my reaction on court sums up pretty much how I feel about it.”