HEAR ye, hear ye, to one and all: It is now official!
Alex Eala has climbed to No. 75 in the Women’s Tennis Association ratings from 140.
The women’s professional tennis body posted the new ratings yesterday after Eala’s Cinderella run in the WTA 1000 Miami Open last week, where she emerged as the first Filipino tennis player to reach the semifinals of the elite pro tournament while setting several milestones along the way.
Her remarkable campaign was highlighted by a hat trick of wins over former Grand Slam champions, beginning with a riveting round-of-64 7-6 (7-2), 7-5 win over former 2017 French Open women’s singles titleholder Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, the world No. 25.
The pretty Filipina southpaw followed it up in the next round with a masterful 6-2, 6-4 conquest of reigning Australian Open queen and world No. 5 Madison Keys of the US and advancing to the next round after Spanish world No. 10 Paola Badosa withdrew due to injury.
Given much-needed respite, Eala, who began her drive in the tournament as a wildcard entry, made the most of the breather in an eye-popping 6-2, 7-5 upset of four-time French Open title holder Iga Swiatek, the world No. 2, of Poland in the quarterfinals.
The 19-year-old teener came tantalizingly close to making it to the championship match at the Grand Court of the Hard Rock Stadium against World No. 4 and American veteran Jessica Pegula, 31, in their semifinal faceoff.
Still on a high after knocking out Swiatek in the quarters, Eala surged to a commanding 5-2 lead in the opening set against Swiatek but, poised to serve out the set, uncharacteristically committed successive double faults that paved the way for her rival to come back.
Pegula won the battle of wills and nerves in the tie-breaker for a 7-6 (7-3) win.
Showing remarkable resiliency, Eala, who called a medical timeout in the second set after slipping in the first game, knotted the count at 1-set all after clinching the next one 7-5 to send the match to a third and deciding final set – the first time in the tourney she had to go an extra set.
Armed with a reliable forehand, Pegula banked on her experience to settle the issue 6-3 as Eala’s often trusty forehand deserted her in the critical moments of the set.
Eala bid goodbye and blew kisses to the appreciative gallery, who gave her an ovation, walking away with $332,160 (around P19.111 million) plus 400 ranking points for her Herculean efforts.
She reflected on her unforgettable Miami Open campaign over the weekend with a post on her Instagram account:
“Wow, this year’s @miamiopen has left me speechless and so full of emotion, mostly pride and gratitude,” Eala began.
“I’m proud of myself for pushing through those tough moments, as well as to have been able to make a statement for the Philippines in one of the biggest stages of tennis,” she added.
“Moreover, I’m thankful for all the positivity coming my way, and I pray that you all continue sending support through the highs and lows. Salamat sa lahat ng pagdadasal at magagandang mensahe,” Eala said in paying tribute to all her supporters worldwide.
“I recognize that these two weeks have opened the door to so many opportunities for me, but along with those opportunities come a whole new set of obstacles I will have to navigate through,” she acknowledged, concluding: “The real work starts now.”
A product of the Nadal Tennis Academy in Mallorca, Spain, owned by Spanish clay court great Rafael Nadal, the doors of opportunity for Eala, indeed, have been flung wide open.
For one, breaching the top 100 in the WTA ratings means she will get more invitations to compete in major tournaments, including the Australian, US, and French Opens and Wimbledon, without having to go through the rigorous wild card route.
With the Los Angeles Olympic Games just three years away, Eala will now have a crack at qualifying for her first Olympics since the top 56 players in world ratings in the men’s and women’s singles before the Games will be among the qualifying criteria.
The Philippine Tennis Association, under the leadership of Paranaque Mayor Eric Olivarez, will also likely make it a must in forming national teams for the Billie Jean King Tennis Cup, formerly known as the Federation Cup, a must for Olympic participation.
