Philippine teenage tennis star Alexandra Eala continues historic run, enters Miami Open quarterfinals

Alexandra Eala during the 2025 Miami Open. Photo by WTA

The 19-year-old reached her first Hologic WTA Tour quarterfinal on Monday after the 10th seed Paula Badosa withdrew from their scheduled fourth-round match due to a low back injury.

"It's crazy to think that I made my main draw debut here in 2021 and now I'm into the quarterfinals. It's such a full circle moment and I hope you guys can support and come along in the journey," she told Women’s Tennis Association (WTA).

Wild card Eala and Badosa were expected to play after both scored dramatic third-round wins on Sunday.

World number 140 Eala beat 5th seed and Australian Open champion Madison Keys to continue a best run for a player from the Philippines in the Open Era. Badosa, meanwhile, earned a dramatic victory over Clara Tauson, the 20th seed, despite requiring a medical timeout earlier in the match.

"Not the way I would want to move to my first WTA1000 quarterfinals. I wish Paula a speedy recovery. Looking forward to my match on Wednesday," Eala wrote on her Instagram story.

In her sixth WTA 1000 event, Eala will face a huge challenge in the quarterfinals, the 2nd seed and former Miami Open champion Iga Swiatek. The Polish star beat the 22nd seed Elina Svitolina in a late match on Monday.

Swiatek will be the third Grand Slam singles champion that Eala faces in this tournament. Eala already beat 2017 Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko and reigning Australian Open champion Keys in this run, marking the first two top 40 wins of her career.

Eala, the junior U.S. Open champion in 2022, had never won three consecutive matches at any WTA Tour level event prior to this tournament, even though Badosa's withdrawal will not count towards her win record.

According to the WTA, Eala is expected to receive $189,075 for advancing to the quarterfinals, along with 215 points on her ranking.