By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The whole country is proud of you, Ms. Alexandra Eala.
Almighty Alex, Ealamazing, Alex the Giant Slayer, call her any moniker you want but one thing is sure.
She’s going for the kill.
Entering the prestigious Miami Open tournament as a massive underdog against the top-seeded Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) players, the 19-year-old teen wonder from the Philippines made major headlines and is now the talk of the town in the professional tennis scene.
In a span of three days, Eala made history after becoming the first Filipina tennis player to take down two Grand Slam champions in a WTA major event.
Eala turned heads after sweeping the 2017 French Open queen, Jelena Ostapenko- 7.6, 7.5- during their Round of 64 clash at the Miami Gardens, Florida.
The Filipina ace wasn’t done making waves as she stunned the recently crowned 2025 Australian Open champion, Madison Keys, in dominant fashion- 6.4, 6.2-, to formalize her seat in the Round of 16 stage against world No. 10 Paula Badosa.
Two Grand Slam seeded champions in two consecutive scheduled matches. Now that’s a big win not only for Eala but also for the whole PHL tennis community.
Many already ruled Eala out when they determined that Ostapenko was next in line after her win against Katie Volynets in the first round.
However, the brave and laser-focused netter proved everyone wrong when she pulled off a performance for the ages, blanking the former Grand Slam champion who was also the world No. 4 ranked female tennis player last year.
What made her win against Ostapenko sweeter was climbing back from a 0-4 opening set deficit that set the tone, shifting the entire momentum of the match to Eala’s side.
Although Eala got edged in the power baseline battle, the younger Filipina remained calm during her insane comeback run and relied on her precise return game that piled up her scoring tally midway through the first set.
Ostapenko replicated her hot start in the following set and out-maneuvered Eala with her top-spin heavy strokes but just like the opener, the Filipina managed to dig deep, capping off her historic win with a 3-0 set run.
After a day of rest, Eala returned to the Grandstand, and up next was the reigning Australian Champion who is coming off a 2-0 victory over Elina Avanesyan in the Round of 64 stage.
Many doubted, but Eala believed.
She and her entire camp knew that anything was possible with sheer will, determination, and a proper mindset.
Holding 135 spots higher as the current WTA No. 5 player while boasting over 398 total wins as a pro, Keys clearly had the advantage but everyone in attendance suddenly held their breaths when the young Filipina took the first eight points out of the first nine game possessions.
It was different.
She was for real.
Every forehand down-the-line bomb was precise, her return game equipped with an insane amount of top spin always kissed the line, and she was out-playing a Grand Slam champion.
During her winning moment, Eala jumped in joy with tears flowing from her eyes. It was a surreal feeling for a young talent that just ousted two golden trophy holders in two straight days.
“I don’t think I’ve had the time to process everything that’s happened. so I’m taking it step by step and just focusing on what I need to do next. It’s a big thing to take in, and I’m so super proud of what I was able to accomplish, but it definitely fuels me more. I know and it’s in my mind that I have a next match, but I need to stop, and I need to recognize that what I did today was really amazing,” said Eala after making history.
Mabuhay ka, Alex Eala!
