Coming from a country with little tennis pedigree, Eala is already accustomed to being a trailblazer for the Philippines – even though she is still a teenager.
In 2021, she became the first Filipino to win a WTA Tour match and first to win a junior Grand Slam crown with the 2022 US Open title.
The New York triumph even led to the teenager gracing the cover of Vogue back home.
Now Eala has announced herself to a wider global audience, having beaten some of the biggest names on the WTA Tour to reach the last four.
A graduate of the Rafael Nadal Academy, she had only won two main-draw matches before her stunning run in Miami.
Three of her four victories at the WTA 1000 event – the tier of tournaments below the Grand Slams – have come against Grand Slam champions.
A second-round win over 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko was followed by a seismic win over world number five Madison Keys – who won the Australian Open in January – in the third round.
Eala received a walkover in the fourth round when Spanish 10th seed Paula Badosa withdrew injured, but showed again why she is regarded as an emerging star with a quality performance against Poland’s Swiatek.
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exeter.one newsbite last confirmed 1 week ago by Jonathan Jurejko
