Alex Eala of the Philippines reacts at match point after defeating Iga Swiatek of Poland on Day 9 of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium on March 26, 2025 in Miami Gardens, Florida. Al Bello/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by AL BELLO / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
MANILA, Philippines — Alex Eala is expected to enter the Top 100 of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) World Rankings as she continues to turn heads in the 2025 Miami Open.
Eala, currently World No.140, took down three Grand Slam champions to barge into the semifinal of the Miami Open.
And the latest giant she slayed was World No. 2 and five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek with the 19-year-old Filipino pulling off a massive 6-2, 7-5 upset to advance to the Final Four on Thursday (Manila time).
READ: Alex Eala knocks world No. 2 Iga Swiatek out of Miami Open
With her dream run in the WTA 1000 event, Eala now moved to 75th in the live rankings and is expected to rise to the top 100 regardless of her finish in the tournament.
The Rafael Nadal Academy graduate, who has a career-high ranking of World No. 134, will likely be extended invites to the Grand Slams main draws with her projected leap inside the top 100.
According to the WTA, Eala has tied the best result achieved by a wild card in the Miami Open since the tournament’s inception in 1985.
The Filipino tennis sensation was only the second wild card to get three consecutive wins over Grand Slam champions at a single WTA event.
She became the first Filipino to reach the semis of a WTA 1000 tournament and take down a top-two player since the WTA Tour rankings for women’s tennis were published in 1975.
Alex Eala vs Jessica Pegula at Miami Open: where to watch on TV
Eala got her first Miami Open main draw win after taking down World No.73 Katie Voleynets, 6-3, 7-6 (3) in the Round of 128.
She beat the World No. 25 and 2017 French Open champion Jeļena Ostapenko of Latvia with a 7-6 (2), 7-5 triumph and stunned WTA No. 5 Madison Keys, 6-4, 6-2, in the Round of 32 before a walkover to the quarterfinals after Spain’s Paula Badosa was forced to withdraw from their fourth-round match due to a lower back injury.
Eala eyes the Miami Open championship game against World No.4 Jessica Pegula in the semifinal on Friday at 8:30 a.m. (Manila time).