Alex Eala continues her dream run at the Miami Open 2025 after the withdrawal of Paula Badosa of Spain due to back injury, advancing the Filipino tennis sensation to the quarterfinals.

This comes after her historic upset victory against Grand Slam champions World No. 5 Madison Keys (6-4, 6-2) of the United States and World No. 25 Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia (7-6, 7-5) in the previous rounds.

In the opener, Eala, the 19-year old WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) star and ranked No. 140 before the tournament, scored her monumental main draw victory against World No. 73 Katie Volynets of the United States, 6-3, 7-6.

She is now making waves in the tournament as a wild card entry and the first Filipina to ever defeat Grand Slam players one after the other since the WTA rankings began in 1975.

Eala won her matches against Ostapenko, the 2017 French Open champion, and Keys, the Australian Open champion, and with Badosa’s sudden pull-out, she will face five-time Grand Slam Champion Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals on March 26.

The Filipino sensation was emotional during an on-court television interview after her victory over Keys. “Growing up it was tough. You didn’t have anyone from where you’re from to pave the way. Of course, you have many people to look up to around the world, but I think—I hope this takes Filipino tennis to the next step.”

When she was 13 years old, Eala’s family made the tough decision to accept a full scholarship to the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca, Spain, where she graduated in 2023. 

“My family should take credit for the foundation that they laid out before they sent me there.” she said, adding:

“But of course, the academy was able to build on that foundation in such a way that I’m able to be where I am now. And I think the combination of everything that I’ve been through since I started tennis is what has led to this moment and what has led to me having all these opportunities.”

Present during her graduation ceremony was Swiatek, her next opponent in the Miami Open. Although taking the feat against Badosa was a walkover, Eala is still determined to power through her march against Swiatek.

“Not the way I would want to move on to my first WTA1000 QF. I wish Paula a speedy recovery. Looking forward to my match on Wednesday,” she wrote on Instagram.

Swiatek is formerly ranked at No. 1 for a total of 125 weeks before Aryna Sabalenka reclaimed the spot.

Read more: Alex Eala notches a first for the motherland