Alexandra Eala has caught the attention of many keen tennis watches following the Miami Open campaign.
The 19-year-old wowed fans with her magical run to the semi-finals of the WTA 1000 events, beating three Grand Slam champions along the way.
Eala overcame Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek to reach the last four, and contested a thrilling three-set against Jessica Pegula before the American emerged victorious.
The teenager certainly made a great impression in Miami, especially on seven-time Grand Slam winner Mats Wilander.
Photo by Robert Prange/Getty ImagesMats Wilander compares Alexandra Eala to John McEnroe
Alexandra Eala’s aggressive and fearless brand of tennis and the passion she exuded while competing endeared her to the Miami Open fans and those watching at home.
She showed that she is ready to compete against the world’s best players at a high level, and the tennis world is keen to see more from Eala moving forward.
Wilander is one of those people, and was so impressed with Eala, that he compared her to his former rival, John McEnroe.
Photo by John Berry/Getty Images
“With Alexandra Eala, we’re talking about someone who has hands given by God. She understands the game as good as any player on tour,” Wilander told TNT Sports.
“The talent is just boiling out of the fingers and boiling out of her hand, and she can do anything. In the women’s game, that is so cool that we have someone that comes out that does all these things that maybe [Aryna] Sabalenka and Swiatek are not great at doing.
“They’re great at other things. But suddenly, we have a player that can play tennis that is mystical to the rest of us. Like, ‘Oh, my God, how do you do that?
“How do you understand tennis? How do you hit those shots? The feel, the understanding, I love it. It’s basically what John McEnroe did to us in the 1980s.”
Photo by Robert Prange/Getty ImagesAlexandra Eala now at career-high ranking after Miami Open
Following Eala’s run to the Miami Open semi-finals, she is now a member of the top 100 for the first time in her career. The Rafael Nadal Academy graduate is currently ranked at number 75 with 894 points.
This result means that Eala is now the first woman from the Philippines to enter the WTA Tour’s top 100.
Despite losing to Pegula, Eala was given a standing ovation by the Miami Open crowd and the World number four was full of praise for her opponent.
“She is really good. A really good tennis player!,” Pegula said post-match. “Goes for her shots, takes the ball early, rips. Being a lefty is always tricky. Competes really well.
“She has beaten a lot of top players this week, I don’t think she needs me to tell her she is a great player, that we are not going to see enough of her. But we definitely are! She proved that tonight. That was really tough.”