In a thrilling upset at the Miami Open on Wednesday, 19-year-old wildcard Alexandra Eala defeated world No. 2 Iga Swiatek 6-2, 7-5, securing the biggest win of her young career.
The Filipino youngster showed no signs of being intimidated by playing one of her idols, dominating from the start.
Swiatek, who had been dealing with verbal abuse from a spectator earlier in the tournament, failed to hold serve in the opening set, committing 19 unforced errors.
Eala, unflinching in the face of such a challenge, swung freely and took full advantage, producing winners from all over the court.
“I’m in complete disbelief, on cloud nine,” Eala said after the match, clearly overwhelmed by the milestone victory.
This marks the third time Eala has ousted a Grand Slam champion, having previously knocked out Madison Keys and Jelena Ostapenko.
Looking ahead, Eala will face American fourth seed Jessica Pegula, who advanced to her third Miami semi-final after a 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-2 win over Emma Raducanu.
Raducanu, despite a medical timeout during the second set for treatment on her legs and back, could not capitalize on a promising comeback in the tiebreak and fell short in the decider.
On the men’s side, rising French talent Arthur Fils pulled off a stunning upset over top seed Alexander Zverev, winning 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Zverev, after capturing the first set, seemed to lose his rhythm in the second, as Fils secured an early break and began to thrive in the third.
Despite Zverev’s 3-1 lead in the final set, Fils mounted a remarkable comeback, feeding off the crowd’s energy and finishing the match with confidence.
“I thought it was over at 3-1, but I kept fighting and got the break,” Fils said after the match. The 20-year-old will face 19-year-old Jakub Mensik in the next round.
Meanwhile, Grigor Dimitrov battled through a brutal quarter-final against Francisco Cerundolo, saving a match point to win 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-6(3) in a match lasting nearly three hours.
Dimitrov, struggling with exhaustion, managed to find a crucial forehand winner in the deciding tiebreak and sealed the win after Cerundolo’s forehand went wide.
The 33-year-old Bulgarian will now face either Novak Djokovic or Sebastian Korda in the semifinals.
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