Alex Eala remains in awe of her 7-6, 7-5 upset over world No. 25 Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia in the round of 64 in the Miami Open at the Hard Rock Stadium.
The 19-year-old netter said she is humbled to play against the best tennis players of the world.
“Truly grateful for the opportunity to play against great players and continue working hard. Thank you for all the messages,” Eala said.
“Still processing the emotions of yesterday but more importantly, getting ready for tomorrow.”
Eala is competing against world No. 5 and home bet Madison Keys in the Round of 32 at press time.
Should the three-time Junior Grand Slam champion pull off another upset, she would face the winner between world No. 11 Paula Badosa of Spain and world No. 23 Clara Tauson of Denmark in the Round of 16.
If the Filipino graduate of the Rafael Nadal Academy makes it as far as the quarterfinal, she could meet world No. 2 and five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek of Poland. Ivan Suing
It would be a full circle moment for Eala as Swiatek was the speaker during her graduation back in 2023.
In fact, Eala was supposed to face Swiatek in the Madrid Open last April but was defeated by Sorana Cîrstea or Romania, 3-6, 7-6, 4-6, in the Round of 32.