By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Wednesday, March 26, 2025
World No. 140 Alexandra Eala broke serve eight times stunning Iga Swiatek 6-2, 7-5 in one of the most shocking upsets in Miami Open history.
Photo credit: Al Bello/Getty
When Alexandra Eala made her high school graduation walk at the Rafa Nadal Academy, Iga Swiatek was waiting alongside Rafa Nadal to hand Eala her diploma.
Today, Eala schooled five-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek in a shocker.
MORE: Rafa Nadal Academy is Miami Open Big Winner
The 19-year-old wild card Eala broke Swiatek eight times in 10 service games scoring a stunning 6-2, 7-5 triumph that will go down as one of the greatest upsets in Miami Open history.
The secret to her breakout run is no secret: Eala is enjoying herself completely and inspiring Miami fans in the process.
"I think I’ve been loving the way I'm out there on court and I’m trusting my shots and I have great team telling me I can do it," Eala told Tennis Channel's Prakash Amritraj afterward. "Yeah, that’s the secret."
The former world No. 1's forehand failed her: Swiatek committed 24 forehand errors in two sets. The teenager's assertive return posture seemed to spook Swiatek, who won just six of 25 points played on her second serve.
"For sure, I didn't know she's going to play that flat, but besides that, well, she was really aggressive, you know, and she kept her focus," Swiatek told the media in Miami. "And, like, I don't know, some of these shots were pretty like out of nowhere.
"But still, you know, I could see clearly she has intentions to go forward and to push. So it worked for her today, for sure."
When Swiatek’s final shot missed the mark, Eala stood behind the baseline looking astonished by this achievement.
Cinderella is wearing a pair of Nikes and a world No. 140 ranking and refuses to let this party end.
On Sunday, a dynamic Eala shocked Australian Open champion Madison Keys 6-4, 6-2 making history as the first Filipino woman to beat a Grand Slam champion in Open Era history at the Miami Open.
Toni Nadal, Rafael Nadal’s uncle and original coach, was sitting in Eala’s box throwing her a clenched fist in support while she battled in a brilliant performance of poise and down the line drives. The result propels her to No. 75 in the live rankings.
"I work very closely with Toni alongside my coach and the other people from the academy so it meant a lot that he showed up here," Eala told Tennis Channel's Prakash Amritraj afterward. "I know he had to catch a flight but it showed the confidence he had in me and the confidence I have in him."
Prior to this Miami Open, Eala was so inexperienced, she had never played a major main-draw match and had won only two WTA main draw matches in her career.
Four of her six career wins have come this week and three of those victories have come over powerful Grand Slam champions: Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek.
If you had the 19-year-old lefty penciled in as a final four pick when the draw came out, you are truly a tennis genius.
Eala's magical ride will continue.
The 140th-ranked wild card is the first Filipina to defeat a Top 10 player and continues to create milestone moments for Filipino tennis with each passing match.
Next, Eala will face either 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu or 2024 US Open finalist Jessica Pegula for a spot in the final.
Though Eala does not serve big, she’s skilled taking the ball on the rise, she’s fearless moving inside the baseline to attack serves and she repeatedly scorched Swiatek with those down the line daggers. Swiatek's serve never had safe space against the flat returns of the Filipina.
"Take it early and not to be afraid—not to be afraid to miss," Eala said of her return philosophy. "She has a great serve. Madison has a great serve. Jelena has a great serve so it’s normal I will miss some. I will frame some, but I cannot be afraid to continue what I have to do."
The teenager wearing a swath of white adhesive tape wrapping her left thigh has defeated Katie Volynets, 2017 Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko, 2025 Australian Open champion Madison Keys, Paula Badosa (via walkover) and five-time Slam champion Swiatek so far this week for her first semifinal.
An eager Eala rolled through eight straight points extending her lead to 5-2 after 38 minutes.
A shell-shocked Swiatek struggled to read the direction of the left-handed teenager’s drives.
Pushing her predatory posture inside the baseline, Eala flipped a drop shot winner. An erratic Swiatek committed a couple of unforced errors—she made 16 forehand errors in the set—to face set point.
Banging a deep return right back through the middle, Eala snatched the 42-opening set with her fourth service break. The teenager broke in all four of Swiatek’s serve games and won eight of 10 points played on the Pole’s second serve. Swiatek, who spit up 21 errors in that sloppy opening set, left the court for a bathroom break.
The break did not bother Eala, who fired a forehand down the line for break point then blasted a backhand crosscourt capping her fifth consecutive break for a 6-2, 2-0 lead.
Tugging on her canary-colored baseball cap, Swiatek narrowed her focus to break back in the third game.
Spinning a forehand winner down the line, Swiatek scored her first hold 65 minutes into the match to level the second set after four games.
Swiatek was striking for more confidence as she broke for a 3-2 lead—the ninth break in 13 games played.
It appeared Swiatek was restoring order, but Eala continued taking her cracks.
Stepping inside the baseline, Eala leaned into a biting backhand return to score her sixth break and level at 4-all.
When the second seed served for the set at 5-4, Eala surprised her with a drop shot winner. That touch of magic helped her score her seventh break in nine Swiatek serve games for 5-all.
Quick on her feet, the wild card adjusted to a churning topspin and launched another forehand down the line eliciting a wild forehand error as Eala held for 6-5.
Eala closed in 99 minutes with a beautiful stunner that imprinted elation on her face.
"Miami, you have my heart," Eala wrote on the court-side camera after a pulsating win.
It was graduation day again in Miami and Eala was thrilled moving up in class.
"I’m the same girl [as when I graduated high school], but the circumstances have changed so much," Eala said. "I knew one day I would have a chance to play her, but I didn’t know it would be this week."