Filipina teenager Alexandra Eala's remarkable journey at the Miami Open ended after she was defeated by American star Jessica Pegula in the semifinals on Thursday.
The 19-year-old made history in the tournament by defeating top players, including Grand Slam champions Iga Swiątek, Jelena Ostapenko and Madison Keys.
As per BBC Sports, Pegula secured victory in a closely contested match, winning in three sets: 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-3.
Although Eala was defeated she still had a big smile on her face as she left the court.
The audience showed their appreciation by applauding her for her remarkable performance in the tournament.
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Eala said, “To have a week like this, the stars need to align and they did this week, and hopefully I can keep that up, that is my goal now, to keep this up.”
Eala has been considered one of the most promising young talents in tennis.
She won the US Open girls' singles title in 2022 and also secured doubles titles in the girls' category at the 2021 French Open and the 2020 Australian Open.
Pegula praised Eala, saying, “She’s really good. She’s a really good tennis player, goes for her shots, takes the ball early, competes really well, she’s beaten a lot of top players this week.”
She added, “I don’t think she needs me to tell her that she’s a great player, that we’re not going to see enough of her. We definitely are, and she proved that tonight.”
Pegula will now compete against world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the Miami Open final.
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