19-year-old Filipino girl shocks tennis world

Filipino tennis player Alexandra Eala - Photo: REUTERS

Participate with a special ticket

World No. 2 Iga Swiatek became the latest loser to Alexandra Eala. It was a quick victory, as Eala convincingly defeated Swiatek 6-2, 7-5 in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Miami Open women's singles on March 26.

"Maybe I'm making a difference. The only thing I can do for my country is to inspire, I want people in the Philippines to watch more tennis, then pick up the racket and go out on the court," Eala said after his impressive win over Swiatek.

A week ago, this victory would have been described as "shocking" to the tennis world. But the chain of tremors that Eala created has lasted for many days.

The Filipino girl only got to participate in Miami Open thanks to a wild card. With a world ranking of 140, Eala fell into a very difficult draw.

Eala continuously creates earthquakes - Photo: REUTERS

Hold the racket with your left hand

After the victory over Volynets (6-3, 7-6) in round 1, Eala had to face 25th seed Jelena Ostapenko in round 2. Ostapenko won Roland Garros in 2017, and has maintained a fairly stable performance until now.

Eala surprisingly won 7-6, 7-5 in a dramatic match against this formidable opponent, and began to receive attention in the tournament. Her next opponent in the third round is Madison Keys - the 2025 Australian Open women's singles champion.

That victory helped Keys climb to No. 5 in the world, promising to put her back in the top group of candidates for the No. 1 singles title. But then Keys was completely helpless against Eala's explosion.

The match that seemed to be the most difficult of the Filipino girl's career ended in just over an hour. Eala defeated Keys with a score of 6-4, 6-2.

In the fourth round, Eala was lucky when 10th seed Paula Badosa had to withdraw due to injury. And in the quarterfinals, she faced Iga Swiatek.

Like a storm, Eala's youth, freshness, and tricky left-handed grip made even a veteran opponent like Swiatek give up.

"I knew the way she held the racket with her left hand would not be comfortable at all. She returned the serve to the back of the court, which made it very difficult for me. My arm was tired throughout the match," Swiatek praised her junior after the loss.

Eala has reached the semifinals of the Miami Open women's singles, one of the most prestigious WTA 1000 tournaments. And the Filipino girl's extraordinary journey may not stop there.

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HUY DANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/co-gai-19-tuoi-nguoi-philippines-gay-chan-dong-lang-quan-vot-2025032707043084.htm