ALEX Eala has her work cut out for her as she faces former world No. 1 and tournament second seed Iga Swiatek of Poland in the quarterfinals of the WTA 100 Miami Open.
They will meet on Wednesday for a seat in the last eight where other tennis aces such as world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, world No. 4 Jessica Pegula, world No. 7 Jasmine Paolini, and world No. 9 Qinwen Zheng are still very much in the competition.
READ Alex Eala makes first-ever WTA quarterfinal as Badosa out injured
Like all the other opponents Eala faced, Swiatek will be the favorite against the Filipino who is in her first WTA level quarterfinal.
Swiatek, 23, was ranked world No. 1 for 125 weeks, seventh on the all-time list, while Eala is not even in the Top 100, her current rank is 140.
Eala has not won a tournament in the WTA level while Swiatek, besides her five Grand Slams, consisting of four French Open and one US Open, has won 22 WTA Tour-level singles title, 10 WTA 1000 titles and the 2023 WTA Finals.
[The quarterfinal match between Filipina ace Alex Eala and world No. 2 Iga Swiatek will be shown live on Blast TV app starting at 1 a.m. on Thursday (March 27). Its linear simulcast of Premier Sports 2 on all platforms including cable; Direct to Home; Blast TV app and connected TV like Samsung TV plus.]
Eala is zero in all these categories, but what she lacks in titles she makes up for in other areas. She has grit, determination and Swiatek will have the disadvantage of facing an opponent she hardly knew.
The 19-year-old Eala earned her slot in the quarters without having to hit a ball as her Round of 16 opponent, Paula Badosa of Spain, withdrew prior to the match due to a lower back injury.
Swiatek marched on after beating Ukranian star Elena Svitolina, 7-6 (5), 6-3, in their fourth-round match that ended past midnight of Monday in the US.
The match was close in the first set which Swiatek took, winning the last three points in the tiebreak after Svitolina tied it at 5-all.
But the former world No. 1, seeded second here, took care of business in the second set, holding off the Ukrainian whom she broke twice.
Against Swiatek, not only will Eala’s skill be extremely tested, but her nerves, too, as she plays the ultra-talented Swiatek.
Eala will be aiming to make more history as she eyes a semifinals berth. Among the last eight players, she’s an outlier, ranked No. 140, and came into the tournament as a wild card.
But she has been making the most of the opportunity, beating two major champions, first, former Franch Open winner Jelena Ostapenko in the second round, then hurdling Australian Open champion Madison Keys in the third round, both wins in straight sets.
Facing Swiatek, however, will be the ultimate experience for the Filipino teenager who many believe is finally reaching her potential after deciding that tennis will be her career for life.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
