Alex Eala's Dream Run In Miami Ends With Semifinal Defeat

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - MARCH 27: Alexandra Eala of the Philippines walks off the court after ... More losing to Jessica Pegula of the United States in the semi-final on Day 10 of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium on March 27, 2025 in Miami Gardens, Florida (Photo by Robert Prange/Getty Images) Getty Images

Filipino teen sensation Alex Eala’s fairytale run at the Miami Open ended on Thursday following her 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-3 defeat to American Jessica Pegula in the semifinals.

Eala, 19, booked her berth in the last four after knocking out five-time major champion and second seed Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals, this year’s Australian Open winner Madison Keys in the third round and former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko in the second round.

Ranked 140th in the world, the youngster from the Philippines had only two WTA main draw victories before arriving in Miami, where she became the lowest-ranked semifinalist in the tournament's history.

Eala said she was disappointed to lose in the semifinals, but cherished her remarkable display at the tournament, which grabbed headlines worldwide.

”Of course, I’m disappointed,’’ said Eala, who limped into the Mixed Zone interview area with a taped left thigh and ankle that she rolled at the beginning of the second set.

“But there’s so many times in tennis where you have to dig out the dirt to look for the positive and now I’m enjoying it because there’s so much positive around me and I don’t know how many times that has happened so I’m just lucky to have been able to experience these two weeks.

“The match I played was amazing and she [Pegula] played amazing. I definitely had my chances and I definitely have things that I could’ve done better but I literally gave everything I had as you see I’m taped up like a mummy. I did everything and I have no regrets," she 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," she added.

How Jessica Pegula Held Off Alex Eala Late

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - MARCH 27: Jessica Pegula of the United States reacts to defeating Alexandra ... More Eala of the Philippines in the semi-final on Day 10 of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium on March 27, 2025 in Miami Gardens, Florida (Photo by Robert Prange/Getty Images) Getty Images

Fourth seed Pegula needed two hours and 26 minutes to beat Eala in the three-set thriller which finished after midnight local time.

Pegula, who defeated former U.S. Open Emma Raducanu in a late-night Wednesday affair too, had a shaky start as she went 5-2 down in the first set.

But the 31-year-old turned things around by breaking serve at 5-3 after Eala double-faulted at 40-30, and again at deuce.

In the second set, Pegula broke to go 3-1 up but Eala broke Pegula three times in the set and was able to hold when serving for the set at 6-5.

Pegula prevailed in the decider, breaking to go 5-3 up before serving out for a victory.

"I'm so tired, so, so tired," Pegula said in her on-court interview.

“She’s really good… 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.”

Despite the defeat, youngster Eala blew kisses to a small crowd that gave her a standing ovation after sharing a warm exchange with the experienced Pegula at the net.

Following her victory over Alex Eala, Pegula will face World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in Saturday’s final as she seeks a fourth career WTA 1000 title.

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