“I’m in complete disbelief right now,” spoke Alexandra Eala after recording the most phenomenal performance of her history-making breakout campaign at the Miami Open. The teen sensation handed a monumental shock to five-time Slam winner Iga Swiatek to advance in the semifinal of a WTA event for the first time in her nascent career. Not just that, the Filipina player overturned a 2-4 deficit in the second set to upset an out-of-sorts Pole in straight sets, 6-2, 7-5, in one hour and 41 minutes. Having arrived at the Masters 1000 event unknown, her recent feat naturally stunned the tennis world. And now, the update has caught the attention of Coco Gauff‘s ex-coach.

Taking to X, American Gauff’s former coach Brad Gilbert, who guided the World No. 3 to her maiden US Open finish in 2023, praised the young talent for outclassing Swiatek on the hallowed courts of Miami. Moreover, the American coach congratulated Eala for becoming the first Filipina to be ranked in the top 100. “Wow. What a win for Eala taking out Iga Pop, what a great WC from @MiamiOpen. Welcome to the top 100.” For those unaware, Eala is now the first player from the Philippines to secure a tour-level semifinal spot. Prior to her run in Miami, Eala never squared off against a player in the top 20, but now, she owns two top 10 victories.

No. 140-ranked Eala, who graduated from the Rafa Nadal Academy, became the second wildcard after Elina Svitolina at Wimbledon in 2023 to complete a hat-trick of upsets over Grand Slam champions in Miami. She previously crushed Jelena Ostapenko and Madison Keys in the second and third rounds, respectively. Before clashing with Swiatek, the teenage wildcard received a walkover from Spaniard Paula Badosa in the Round of 16. As for her Polish rival, this result came as her third loss to a player ranked outside of the top 100.

Later, during her post-match presser, Swiatek explained that she couldn’t find a necessary solution to Eala’s unexpected strategy against her. “She was really aggressive, and she kept her focus. Some of these shots were pretty, like out of nowhere, but still I could see that clearly, she had intentions to go forward and to push, so it worked for her today, for sure.” Not to be outdone, but the Filipina also reserved a few words to sum up her “disbelief” downing the second seed at the Miami Masters.

Alexandra Eala on “cloud nine” following class act against Iga Swiatek at the Miami Open

Teen phenom Alexandra Eala was ecstatic following her commendable finish against Polish No. 1 Iga Swiatek in Miami. After completing the biggest win of her career, she expressed her raw emotions to the crowd during an on-court interview. Already accustomed to being a trailblazer, the 19-year-old became the first Filipina to win a junior Slam crown at the 2022 US Open.

“I’m on cloud nine,” spoke a breathless Eala. “It’s so surreal. I’m so happy and so blessed to be able to compete with such a player on this stage … My coach told me to run, to go for every ball, to take all the opportunities I can, because a five-time Slam champion is not going to give you the win.” The young talent later stressed compartmentalization as the key to her glory during her post-match presser.

“I don’t have a lot of experience on the WTA Tour, that’s for sure,” she said. “But I do have experience with compartmentalizing. I have experience with being professional. I have no hesitation to bring that part of me out when I’m on court and when I’m in a setting that calls for professionalism.”

The Filipina will next lock horns with either No. 4 seed Jessica Pegula or Briton Emma Raducanu as she bids to reach her maiden WTA – let alone a Masters 1000 – final on Friday, February 28.