Alexandra Eala’s Miami Masters campaign was one for the record books.
The 19-year-old Filipina wildcard unexpectedly surged into the semifinals, becoming the first teenager to achieve this feat in Miami since Victoria Azarenka in 2009.
READ MORE: Alexandra Eala, the Philippines' rising star who beat the AO champ
Eala upset Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek throughout the tournament, becoming the second wildcard – alongside Elina Svitolina at Wimbledon 2023 – to defeat three Grand Slam champions at the same WTA event.
Australian doubles No.1 Ellen Perez, who hit with Eala in Miami, was like many surprised by her groundbreaking run, but perhaps less so in hindsight given what she'd seen from the rising star in practice.
“We hit the first day just before she played her first round of singles," Perez recounted on this week's episode of The Sit-Down podcast.
"We were doing a lot of cross-court shots; she wanted to work on her forehand and I was like, ‘Oh, this is fun’ – because it’s lefty forehand-to-forehand – and we were absolutely crushing it.
PODCAST: Listen to Ellen Perez on The Sit-Down
“I even have to toot my own horn; I was playing so well and we were absolutely smacking it for long rallies, and I turned to Rennae Stubbs and I’m like ‘damn, we’re hitting [the ball] so well’ and little did I know how well she was going to go [at the tournament].
"But I look back on that moment of us hitting and I think I could see it coming too.”
Eala and Perez share a mutual connection through former Portuguese player Maria Joao Koehler.
Koehler served as Perez's coach between 2021 and 2022, and Eala was also coached by the former world No.102 at the Rafa Nadal Tennis Academy in Spain, where she graduated in 2023. Perez sometimes trains at the Manacor facility.
“She trained at the Rafa [Nadal] Academy and my coach Maria used to coach her. So as we were playing [ITF W25s and W60 tournaments], I hit with her quite a few times,” Perez explained.
“She even asked to play doubles at one of the tournaments, and I said yes. In the end, her coach backed out, but we’ve hit maybe four or five times.
“After she beat Jelena [Ostapenko], I was just about to go on and play and I went over to congratulate her, and I took a photo to send it to Maria – because we do that every time I catch up with Alex. I’ll take a photo with her, and I’ll send it to Maria just as a ‘oh, we miss you’ kind of thing.
“Then when it blew up that she was doing so well, I posted it [on X] just as like ‘If you’re not on the bandwagon, you should be’.”
Eala's Miami miracle proved that now is indeed the time to get on board and follow this ascendant Filipina star.
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