It’s been more than two weeks, but Alex Eala is still over the moon.
And why not, her impressive performance in the Miami Open didn’t only catapult her to her highest ranking ever but also put professional women’s tennis on notice, signaling the emergence of a new queen.
“It’s a bit hard to swallow because there are such big wins. Yeah, but I’m super proud. I think that’s the word. I’m proud of myself,” Eala told select sportswriters in an online news briefing organized by her sponsors, Globe and BPI.
“And just to be able to say that I’m in the Top 100, Top 75, to be able to say that I have top five wins is very surreal to me.”
True enough, what Eala accomplished in the Miami Open — a prestigious WTA 1000 event that is just one rung lower than the Grand Slam — was truly memorable. It was a feat that deserves to be part of the country’s sports history, something that can be narrated to generations to come.
Barely two months before her 20th birthday, Eala marched into the Hard Rock Stadium without the star power of her fancied foes. Sure, she used to be a juniors singles champion in the US Open and a juniors doubles titlist in the Australian Open and the French Open, but those credentials pale in comparison to what the big guns of women’s tennis had accomplished.
In fact, she had yet to see action in the main draw of the women’s singles event of a Grand Slam tournament, proving that she remains as a greenhorn in professional tennis.
But Eala refused to get intimidated.
In Miami, she started her campaign with a 6-3, 7-6 win over world No. 73 and home bet Katie Volynets in the round of 128 before pulling off an upset against world No. 25 and French Open champion Jeļena Ostapenko of Latvia in the Round of 64, 7-6, 7-5.
Eala then defeated Australian Open champion and world No. 5 Madison Keys of the United States, 6-4, 6-2, in the Round of 32, turning her into an overnight sensation with international media tagging her as the “Cinderella Girl” of professional tennis.
Eala drew a lucky break after world No. 11 Paula Badosa of Spain withdrew from their Round of 16 clash due to a lower back injury as she braced for a kill-or-be-killed duel with world No. 2 Iga Swiatek of Poland.
Then, the unthinkable happened.
The Filipino tennis ace pulled off the biggest upset of her career as she toppled the seemingly indestructible Swiatek, 6-2, 7-5, in the quarterfinal.
Her victory shook Philippine sports to its very foundation.
At a time when the nation was deeply divided, Eala’s triumph was a breath of fresh air as it somehow made the Filipinos forget the controversy brought by the surprise arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
Suddenly, social media was buzzing with excitement with local establishments like restaurants and hotels offering watch parties as they prepared for what could be Eala’s historic run to the title.
But Eala’s Cinderella campaign came to a sorry end after she suffered a 6-7, 7-5, 3-6 lost to world No. 4 Jessica Pegula in the semifinal.
Had she won over Pegula, Eala would have the chance to square off with Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus — the No. 1 player in the world — for the title.
Far from done
Now at No. 73 in the WTA, Eala knows the real work has just begun as she needs to consistently beat the best tennis players to earn points and further jack up her standing.
With her new ranking, she is already qualified to compete in the main draw of the French Open and, eventually, sit right next to the biggest and most accomplished tennis players in the world.
“That mentality for the next match doesn’t just go on during the tournament. The work isn’t done,” Eala said.
“We keep evolving. There are so many more goals to be set in place.”
“I definitely need time to reevaluate the goals for this year, but one thing is constant, which is that I have to keep working.”
Right now, Eala is battling Anouk Koevermans of the Netherlands in the Round of 32 of the Oeiras Ladies Open in Portugal.
After that, she will be competing in two more WTA 1000 competitions: The Mutua Madrid Open in Spain from 22 April to 4 May and the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome from 5 to 11 May.
Eala is also set to join the Parma Ladies Open, a WTA 125 event, in Italy from 12 to 17 May.
“The difference now, I guess, is that when I’m on court and I’m facing them, I’m able to look at them as objectively as players and I’m able to see the game,” Eala said.
“I’m able to see what I’m supposed to do, how I’m supposed to do it instead of thinking, ‘oh, it’s one of the great players.’”
Regardless of what happens, one thing is clear: The new queen of professional tennis has arrived.