Eala Stuns Swiatek to Reach Miami Open Semis, Zverev Falls

Photo : Reuters

Philippine tennis player Alexandra Eala made history by defeating world number two Iga Swiatek in the Miami Open. The 19-year-old won the match 6-2, 7-5 on Wednesday and reached the semi-finals. She played with great confidence and showed no fear against one of the best players in the world. From the beginning, she was in control, breaking Swiatek’s serve many times and staying ahead.

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After the match, Eala said she could not believe what had happened and felt like she was dreaming. She said this victory would stay in her heart forever. Swiatek, who has won five Grand Slam titles, struggled throughout the match. In the first set, she made many mistakes and lost her serve several times. Her coach tried to help her, and she left the court for a short time, but it did not change the game.

Swiatek had a 4-2 lead in the second set, but Eala did not give up. Swiatek had a chance to win the set at 5-4, but Eala broke her serve again. Finally, Eala won the match with her eighth break. Earlier in the tournament, she had already defeated two Grand Slam winners, Madison Keys and Jelena Ostapenko. Her next match will be against either American Jessica Pegula or British player Emma Raducanu, who won the US Open in 2021.

In the men’s tournament, top seed Alexander Zverev lost to rising French player Arthur Fils. Fils won 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 and reached the quarter-finals of a Masters 1000 tournament for the second time after Indian Wells. Zverev started strong and won the first set by hitting an ace. However, in the second set, Fils broke Zverev’s serve early and played more aggressively, hitting strong shots to level the match.

In the third set, Zverev was leading 3-1 and looked like he would win. But then he started making mistakes, especially on his backhand. Fils, on the other hand, became more confident and played better with the support of the crowd. The 20-year-old held his serve in the final game and won the match. He will now face 19-year-old Jakub Mensik from the Czech Republic in the quarter-finals. After the match, Fils said he thought he was going to lose when he was behind in the third set, but he stayed calm and kept fighting.

Another exciting match was between Grigor Dimitrov and Francisco Cerundolo. Their match lasted almost three hours, and Dimitrov won 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-6(3). Cerundolo saved seven set points before winning the first set. But Dimitrov broke early in the second set and forced a third set.

In the final set, Cerundolo had a match point at 6-5, but he could not return Dimitrov’s second serve. In the deciding tiebreak, Dimitrov hit a great forehand winner but injured his ankle in the process. Even with the pain, he continued playing and finally won when Cerundolo’s forehand went out. Dimitrov will now play against either 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic or American player Sebastian Korda in the semi-finals.