Photo Source: Matthew Calvis
Alexandra Eala’s riveting run at the Miami Open has finally come to an end.
The talented left-hander, a bundle of energy who made history for the Philippines and herself this week by defeating three former Grand Slam champions and two Top-5 players, fell to Jessica Pegula in semifinal action on Thursday night in Miami, 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-3.
It took an inspired effort from Pegula, who had to rally from 5-2 in the opening set against the 140th-ranked wild card, and would later face a set point with Eala serving at 5-3, 40-30.
Eala, a free-spirited, free-swinging ball of energy, would hit back, claiming the second set from a break down, before Pegula battled through a tense final set to take her place in the final alongside Aryna Sabalenka.
It wasn't the result Eala wanted but she can hold her head high.
The former junior No.2 from Quezon City became the lowest-ranked player in Miami Open history to defeat a Top-2 player when she knocked off Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals. She will rise from 140 to 75 in Monday’s WTA rankings, and she will be the first player from the Philippines to ever hold a Top 100 ranking. Playing with strapping on her right thigh, and dealing with a left ankle issue that she picked up while tumbling early in the second set, the feisty southpaw rallied from a break down in the second set to level up with Pegula at 3-all in the second set.
She then broke for 4-3 as Pegula dumped a makeable backhand into the net.
Pegula broke back for 4-4, but was broken again for 6-5 by Eala, who upped her average forehand groundstroke speed to 82 MPH during the game (up from an average of 70, per Tennis Channel). Now peppering Pegula with flat, aggressive groundstrokes, Eala broke in the next game to take the set, 7-5.
Pegula, ever the consummate pro, kept her nerve in spite of the steady array of flat groundstrokes that were whizzing in her direction from the side of the fiery Filipina in the third. She weathered the storm and eventually pulled away as Eala went cold and sprayed too many errors in the final three games.
Pegula reaches her first Miami Open final, and her sixth at the WTA 1000 level. She is 19-5 lifetime in Miami.
Sabalenka, who defeated Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-2 in Thursday’s first semifinal, owns a 6-2 lifetime edge over Pegula. She defeated the American in their last meeting in the US Open final, 7-5, 7-5.