To say that Alex Eala is having a fantastic run in the 2025 Miami Open is probably the understatement of the moment.
The 19-year-old tennis phenom just took out World no. 2 Iga Swiatek in straight sets, 6-2, 7-5, in the quarterfinals to become the first Filipina to ever reach the last four of a WTA 1000 event. In the process, Eala also entered the record books as only the second player and a qualifier to post upset wins against three grand slam champions in a single tournament. She also took out the scalp of two top 10 players in the world.
In the opening round, Eala beat American Katie Volynets, 6-3, 7-6 before upsetting Jelena Ostapenko, 7-6, 7-5, in a very thrilling round of 64 match. Eala’s next foe, Australian Open champion Madison Keys was heavily expected to win the match against our local pride. Instead, the World no. 5 was at the receiving end of an upset axe, losing in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2.
In the last 16, Eala took a bye after Paula Badosa of Spain withdrew from the tournament. Ranked 10th in the tournament, Badosa was forced by a recurring back injury to forfeit her match against Eala.
By this time, Eala had already entered the record books as she secured her appearance in the last eight of a top WTA tournament. The first Filipino tennis player – male or female – to accomplish the feat.
In the quarterfinals, Eala again showed so much poise, grit and determination, while essaying the role of the underdog to continue her upset streak and amazing run against the five-time grand slam winner. She stuck to the game plan, chasing every opportunity and returning whatever her Polish opponent threw at her.
With these impressive wins, Alex is expected to finally crack the top 100 of the WTA pecking order that a week ago would have been improbable to think about, considering the quality of players she had to beat just to go deep in the tournament.
Eala will face American Jennifer Pegula in the last four. In the other semifinal pairing, Aryna Sabalenka will take on Jasmine Paolini of Italy for a spot in the finals.
Before the start of the Miami Open, Eala was ranked 140th in the world. Eala needed to qualify to enter in the main draw of the Miami Open. Now she is just two wins away from earning her first WTA 1000 title and another opportunity to bring more honor and glory to the sun and three stripes. It took some time for Eala to enjoy singles’ success, but it was worth the sacrifices and the hard work she did just to get to where she is now. It was worth the wait, too.
And imagine this, Eala has not dropped a set in the tournament on her way to the semifinals.
More than anything else, however, Eala gave Filipinos something to cheer and rally about amid the ongoing political concern brought by the arrest of the country’s former chief executive and incarceration in the International Criminal Court at The Hague. It is a much-needed distraction from all the noise and the great divide we have seen since March 11. We now have something that we can all agree on. We have something positive to be proud of. More importantly, we have someone who is positively bringing to the world stage what a Filipino is really made of – tough, resilient, determined, steadfast and more – in times of immense odds and tough circumstances in an unfamiliar and foreign land.
In the cacophony of noise, hate, subjective narratives and fakery, Eala is real.
Lost in Eala’s giant-killing spree was the impressive 4-1 win by the Philippine National Men’s Football Team against Maldives in New Clark City to kickstart the country’s campaign in the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers.
Jeff Tabinas opened the scoring fray for the country in the fifth minute while Bjorn Kristensen made it a 2-0 lead in the 17th minute. Maldives managed to reel in a goal before the halftime whistle but it was the closest the visitors could manage as debutant Randy Schneider and Sandro Reyes scored in the final half.
Schneider proved that he is more than the hype as he also had an assist in an otherwise spectacular display of firepower by the team formerly known as the Azkals. He, too, was worth the wait. Same with Josef Baccay. Imagine if Gerrit Holtmann was also able to play against Maldives. And we have more players coming in like Andre Leipold, Cole Mrowka and other highly-rated prospects. For sure, the coaching staff will have a dilemma on their hands on who will be our starting eleven against Tajikistan on June 10. And it is a good problem for a change. Before we forget, credit should also be given to Team Manager Freddy Gonzalez for his great work on the team.
Hopefully, another upside of the team dominating Maldives is that recruiting more prospects will be a lot easier. After all, who doesn’t want to be on a winning team.
On a personal note, it was heartening to see Head Coach Albert Capellas singing our national anthem. Sana all. In these times of divisiveness and fake news, there should be one thing that is constant – whether on the football pitch or in the West Philippine Sea – Team Pilipinas tayo!
Stay safe. Stay happy peeps!
For comments or questions, you can reach The Designated Kit Man at erel_cabatbat@yahoo.com or follow his account at Twitter: @erelcabatbat