Alexandra Eala’s run to the Miami Open semi-finals has undoubtedly been the story of the tournament.
The 19-year-old Filipino star will debut in the WTA top 100 next week, thanks to her historic run in Florida.
Eala beat Iga Swiatek to reach the last four, having already knocked out Grand Slam champions Madison Keys and Jelena Ostapenko in the earlier rounds.
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Her journey came to an end at the semi-final stage, as Jessica Pegula beat Eala in three sets, 7-6, 5-7, 6-3, booking her place in Saturday’s final with Aryna Sabalenka.
Following her hard-fought victory over the teenager, Pegula named the other WTA star whom Eala reminds her of.
Jessica Pegula says Alexandra Eala reminds her of Leylah Fernandez
Speaking to the press after her semi-final win, Pegula compared Eala to another youngster in women’s tennis.
“She reminds me of a Leylah Fernandez, she takes the ball super early, uses the angles really well, uses the line forehand really well,” said Pegula.
“She definitely takes the ball early and anticipates well, looks to move in.
“So all those things are going to take her far.”
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Pegula also explained how she struggled to deal with the pace of Eala’s serve during their semi-final match.
“The serve was so tough on these courts; it stays really low, and it’s really slow,” she said.
“But it stays low and it’s hard to commit to what you want to do.
“I was struggling with whether I wanted to step in but then I didn’t want to give her free points.”
The American thinks she now knows how she will approach her next meeting with the 19-year-old.
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“Next time I think I would play more way more aggressive now I know and have a sense of how she plays,” said Pegula.
“She is just a really good player.”
Leylah Fernandez’s remarkable run to the 2021 US Open final
Eala isn’t the only 19-year-old to have enjoyed a breakout performance in the United States, as Fernandez did just that at the US Open four years ago.
The Canadian knocked out three top-five seeds, including defending champion Naomi Osaka, on her way to the final in New York.
Photo by ED JONES/AFP via Getty Images2021 US Open SF – Leylah Fernandez beat [2] Aryna Sabalenka, 7-6, 4-6, 6-42021 US Open QF – Leylah Fernandez beat [5] Elina Svitolina, 6-3, 3-6, 7-62021 US Open 4R – Leylah Fernandez beat [16] Angelique Kerber, 4-6, 7-6, 6-22021 US Open 3R – Leylah Fernandez beat [3] Naomi Osaka, 5-7, 7-6, 6-42021 US Open 2R – Leylah Fernandez beat Kaia Kanepi, 7-5, 7-52021 US Open 1R – Leylah Fernandez beat Ana Konjuh, 7-6, 6-2
In the final, Fernandez came up against qualifier Emma Raducanu, who was yet to drop a set at the tournament.
Despite Fernandez’s best efforts, she couldn’t change that in the final, as the Brit lifted the trophy high on Arthur Ashe stadium after a 6-4, 6-3 win.
Fernandez made her top-30 debut shortly after, reaching a career high ranking of 13th in the world one year later.
Four years on from her maiden Major final appearance, Fernandez has reached just one further Grand Slam quarter-final at the French Open in 2022.
The 22-year-old hasn’t looked like threatening at the sport’s biggest tournaments, but has remained a fixture in the WTA top 50, and is currently ranked 26th.
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Only time will tell if either Eala or Fernandez can get their hands on a Grand Slam title, but it’ll certainly be something to keep an eye on as the pair continue their development on the WTA Tour.