Alex Eala explains how 'wow' moment put her on the map

Alex Eala has already notched up several highlights in her short career, but one particular moment will always stand out for the rising star as she believes it set her on the way to stardom.

Twelve months ago, the Filipina was relatively unknown as she was at No 140 in the WTA Rankings and played mostly on the WTA Challenger Tour and the ITF Circuit.

With her ranking not good enough for a direct entry into WTA 1000 tournaments, the then 19-year-old received a wildcard for the Miami Open and she became an overnight sensation on the WTA Tour with a run to the semi-final.

But it was not just the fact that she reached the last four that made people sit up and take note, it was the quality of opponents that she beat 2017 French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko, the then reigning Australian Open Madison Keys and world No 2 Iga Swiatek, who was a five-time Grand Slam winner at the time, to reach the semi-final.

Her run was eventually ended by Jessica Pegula, but those results propelled her to No 75 in the rankings as she became the first player from the Philippines to break into the top 100.

During an appearance on The Sit-Down podcast, Eala said: “I think everything at that point after Miami was a new experience with that ranking being in the top 100 for the very first time, but my eyes were just wide open. I was just so eager to compete and to be at this level.red.

“In the end, being on the WTA Tour is my dream. It’s to be a professional tennis player and I’m living out my dream.

“I think that [Miami run] has to be the highlight of my career so far. That’s what put me on the map. Everything clicked after that. I look back at that moment, and I just think, wow, it was insane.

“It’s crazy to believe that actually happened.”

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But that was only the start of things to come as she went on to make her Grand Slam debut at the French Open before reaching her maiden WTA final – finishing runner-up at Eastbourne – before she became the first Filipina to win a major singles match by reaching the second round at the US Open.

Eala then went on to win her first WTA Challenger Tour title as she entered the Guadalajara 125 Open after exiting the US Open and she eventually went on to crack the top 50 in the rankings.

She has since risen to a new career-high No 31 after reaching the quarter-final in Dubai.

The 20-year-old has become one of the most popular players on the WTA Tour and she is drawing massive crowds whenever she plays and Philippines fans packed the stands at the Australian Open and in Dubai recently.

“It’s so nice to know that I’m doing what I can for the sport because tennis has given me so much,” she said.

“It’s a great time for women’s tennis in our region, so I’m happy to be a part of that.”

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