Philippine tennis player Alexandra Eala advanced to the semifinals of the Miami tournament tonight, after defeating the world's second-ranked Polish tennis player Iga Sfjontek after two sets 6:2, 7:5.
Eala, ranked 140th in the world, won after an hour and 41 minutes and advanced to the semifinals of a WTA tournament for the first time in her career.
Sfiontek broke in the first game of the first set to take the lead, then Eala turned it around to make it 3:1. The Pole returned the break in the fifth game, but her opponent then tied three games and took the lead in the match.
Sfjontek started the second set well, leading 2:0 and 4:2, Eala then stepped up and won after the first match point and became the first tennis player from the Philippines to reach the semi-final of a WTA tournament.
She will be the first Filipino among the top 100 tennis players in the world as of Monday.
She is the third tennis player to play in Miami thanks to a wildcard, having reached the semifinals, after Belgian Justine Henin in 2010 and Belarusian Victoria Azarenka in 2018.
Eala will play in the semifinals against the better of the duel between American Jessica Pegula and Briton Emma Radukan.
Five-time Grand Slam champion Sfjontek had extra security at the match after a fan insulted her during practice on Saturday. It is believed he also insulted her family.
Her representatives told the BBC that the man had been sending her abusive messages via social media.
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