Alex Eala earns biggest purse of her career with Miami Open run

 Alexandra Eala of the Philippines celebrates a point won against Jessica Pegula during semifinal match at the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium on March 27, 2025. Al Bello/Getty Images/AFP 

MANILA, Philippines — After an inspiring run at the 2025 Miami Open, Alex Eala is set to bring home approximately $332,160 (around P19 million) in prize money as a semifinalist in the WTA 1000 event.

Eala fell short against World No. 4 Jessica Pegula in a grueling semifinal duel, 6(3)-7, 7-5, 3-6, on Friday. However, her deep tournament run comes with a significant boost in both earnings and ranking points, securing 390 WTA points.

Before her Cinderella story in Miami, Eala’s total career earnings stood at $498,901 (around P28 million) combined, according to the WTA.

READ: Alex Eala earns praise from Jessica Pegula after Miami Open battle

Eala reached the semifinal in a campaign to remember. As a wildcard ranked No. 140 and still searching for a breakthrough in the pros, she stunned one champion after another en route to facing Pegula.

The 19-year-old Filipino ace toppled Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys, and World No. 2 Iga Swiatek before pushing Pegula to a tough three-set battle.

Beyond the prize money, Eala made history as only the second wildcard to notch three consecutive wins over Grand Slam champions in a single WTA event.

READ: Alex Eala: Philippines’ smash hit on path toward tennis stardom

The 2022 US Open girls’ champion also became the first Filipino to reach the semifinals of a WTA 1000 tournament and the first to defeat both a top-2 and top-5 player since the WTA rankings were introduced in 1975.

Currently ranked No. 140, Eala is expected to make a big leap from her previous career-high of No. 134 and break into the Top 75.

With her improved ranking, she is now likely to secure direct entry into the main draws of the three remaining Grand Slam tournaments this year, including the French Open in May.