Alex Eala’s Cinderella run in Miami ends with semis loss vs Jessica Pegula

A brilliant Cinderella run in Miami ends for Alex Eala.

By Jester Matote

MANILA—Alex Eala’s historic run at the WTA 1000 Miami Open came to an end as World no. 4 Jessica Pegula edged her out in a hard-fought 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-3 semifinal match on Friday afternoon (Philippine time).

The 19-year-old Filipina started strong, utilizing her powerful flat forehands to race to a 5-2 lead in the first set, but Pegula responded with a surge of her own.

The 31-year-old American capitalized on Eala’s errors, winning five of the next six games to force a tiebreak, where she pulled away to take the opening set 7-6(3).

Eala, who suffered a left ankle injury after a fall, required a medical timeout but showed resilience by rallying from a break down in the second set.

Fighting through discomfort, Eala stormed through three consecutive games to take a break lead, only for Pegula to break back after winning eight of nine points to regain control.

Eala, refusing to back down, saved a match point and forced a deciding set after converting her second set point when Pegula misfired wide.

In the third set, Eala kept the pressure on early, creating multiple break opportunities, but Pegula held firm and turned the tide in the eighth game.

A crucial forehand miss from Eala handed Pegula the decisive break, and though Eala fought off one match point, Pegula sealed the win with excellent net play.

“I literally gave everything I had. I'm half tape, I'm like a mummy. I did everything and I have no regrets," Eala said after the match.

The Miami Open marked Eala’s best-ever run in a WTA event, as she became the first Filipina to reach a WTA 1000 semifinal in the Open Era.

Her path to the semis included shocking wins over three Grand Slam champions: World no. 25 Jelena Ostapenko (6-2, 7-5), World no. 5 Madison Keys (6-4, 6-2), and World no. 2 Iga Swiatek (6-2, 7-5), before receiving a walkover from World no. 10 Paula Badosa in the quarterfinals.

With her performance that earned her 390 ranking points, Eala rose to World No. 75 based on the live WTA rankings, a massive leap from her previous No. 140 ranking.

Her new ranking will be formalized next week.

She also took home and $332,160 (approximately PHP 19 million) in prize money as a semifinalist, marking a breakthrough moment in her young career.

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