Alex Eala advances to Miami Open quarterfinals as Spanish opponent withdraws due to injury
Filipino tennis star Alex Eala isn't done writing tennis history as she advanced to the quarterfinals of the Miami Open as her opponent, Spain's Paula Badosa, withdrew from the competition due to injury on March 24 (March 25, Philippine time).
"Paula Badosa has withdrawn from the Miami Open, which sends Alexandra Eala into the quarterfinals," the Women's Tennis Association said in a tweet.
Eala is waiting for the winner in the Round 16 match between Poland's Iga Swiatek and Ukraine's Elina Svitolina later in the day.
In a video message, the 19-year-old thanked fans for their support.
"The atmosphere these past few days has been completely amazing," she said. "It's crazy to think that I made my main draw debut here in 2021 and now I'm into the quarterfinals. It's such a full circle moment."
“It’s such a full circle moment!”
— wta (@WTA) March 24, 2025
Alexandra Eala has a message for all her fans 👋#MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/iZhoKWAuTh
Eala wrote tennis history on Monday when she defeated Australian Open champion, America's Madison Keys, making her the first Filipino to beat a Top 10 opponent since the ranking system came into being 50 years ago.
When Eala was 13, her talent was evident that her family made the difficult decision to send her to Spain to Rafael Nadal's academy in Mallorca.
Access to the academy's quality coaching and facilities has helped her grow into the 2022 US Open girls' singles champion and now a real contender on the WTA Tour.
But Eala knows that her road to the big stage began earlier than that move.
"The academy has been my home for the past seven years," she said. "Of course, my family should take credit for the foundation that they laid out before they sent me there."
"But of course, the academy was able to build on that foundation in such a way that I'm able to be where I am now. And I think the combination of everything that I've been through since I started tennis is what has led to this moment and what has led to me having all these opportunities," she added. (with reports from AFP)
