Alex Eala catapulted herself into WTA mainstream during the 2025 Miami Open, where she made a miracle run to the semifinals and scoring two top-10 wins.
Athletes often have a pivotal moment in their career, where they break out from being a rising talent to a full-blown superstar.
And for Alex Eala, that moment came in the courts of the 2025 Miami Open.
In a remarkable week-long run, Eala reached the semifinals of the WTA 1000 for the first time ever, beating the likes of top-10 players Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek in the process.
Though she eventually succumbed to Jessica Pegula in three sets in the semis, Eala’s life was never the same after that.
As her return to the Miami Open looms next month, Eala earlier reflected on how the whole ordeal changed her career path on an episode of the Australian Open’s The Sit-down which was recorded prior to her debut in Melbourne.
“Well, I think that that has to be the highlight of my career so far. Like you said, that's what put me on the map, but I, you know, it just everything clicked after that,” Eala said.
“I look back at that moment and I just think, wow, like it was, it was insane. And it's crazy to believe that that actually happened.”
From all ends, it was a meteoric rise for the Filipina.
Whether it be her gigantic move up in the WTA rankings, or the number of eyes suddenly trained on the Quezon City-native, everything had changed for the better.
In a week’s time, Eala moved from world no. 140 to world no. 75, which opened up multiple opportunities for the Filipina.
Since then, she’s competed in multiple WTA 1000s, Grand Slam main draws, and other high-level competitions.
Powering through
Almost a year removed from her dream run in Miami, Eala has since racked up invaluable experience.
Now with a WTA 125 title, a Grand Slam main draw win, and a SEA Games gold medal under her belt, Eala took it all in to make herself into a better player.
Through the ups and lows that followed Miami, including a quarterfinal run at her first-ever home tournament, the Philippine Women’s Open, Eala said that she’s just coming along the ride.
“I think everything at that point after Miami was a new experience with that ranking, being in the top 100 for the very first time. But my eyes were just wide open. I was just so eager to compete and to learn and to be at this level,” Eala said.
“And in the end, you know, being on tour and the WTA tour is my dream. It's, you know, to be a professional tennis player and I'm living out my dream. So although it came with its challenges and I had some tough times last year as well, I think I look back at 2025 with so much positivity,” she added.
Since the Australian Open, Eala has had her fair share of success, including a quarterfinal run at the Dubai Tennis Championships, which has brought her to a career-best World No. 31 in the WTA rankings.
[RELATED: Alex Eala jumps to new career-high of world no. 31 in WTA rankings]
Now, Eala looks forward to competing in Indian Wells and in the Miami Open – both WTA 1000s – next month.
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Luisa Morales is a sports writer with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.
Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team, and mixed martial arts.