Alex Eala reaches Miami Open semis, climbs to world No. 75

Filipina tennis player Alexandra 'Alex' Eala advanced to the Miami Open semifinals on Wednesday, March 26 (Thursday, March 27 Manila time), where she defeated world No. 2 Iga Swiatek with scores of 6-2 and 7-5.

Despite losing to World No. 4 Jessica Pegula in the semifinals on Friday at 8:30 am (Manila time) with a score of 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-3, Eala's fighting spirit was evident as she fought back from a Set 1 deficit and pushed Pegula to the limit.

Tennis icon Chris Evert commended Eala for her gritty performance, noting that she had beaten three Grand Slam champions in the previous rounds.

Eala's historic run earned praise from Filipino athletes and personalities, including former senator Manny Pacquiao, who called it just the beginning of her groundbreaking journey in tennis.

With this performance, Eala is now ranked No. 75 in the WTA rankings, up from No. 140 when she entered the tournament and will officially earn a spot in the top 100 for the first time on March 31.