Alexandra Eala stuns Iga Swiatek in Miami Open upset, Raducanu falls to Pegula

Philippine wildcard Alexandra Eala delivered the most significant victory of her young career with a stunning 6-2, 7-5 upset over world No. 2 Iga Swiatek at the Miami Open on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Emma Raducanu’s surprising run ended in the quarter-finals with a 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-2 loss to Jessica Pegula.

Eala, just 19 years old, showed no nerves against one of her idols, playing with remarkable composure while dismantling Swiatek’s serve early in the match. The five-time Grand Slam champion struggled to find rhythm, committing 19 unforced errors in the opening set, and even a brief visit off-court after coaching advice couldn't shift the momentum.

"I don't know what to say, I mean, complete just disbelief right now and I am on cloud nine," Eala said. "It's forever in my heart."

The young Filipina fought back from a 4-2 deficit in the second set, breaking Swiatek’s serve for an eighth time to seal the victory. This win marked her third triumph over a Grand Slam champion in the tournament, following victories over Madison Keys and Jelena Ostapenko.

Eala now faces fourth seed Pegula in the semi-finals after the American overcame 2021 U.S. Open champion Raducanu in a hard-fought battle. Raducanu, who appeared physically hampered and required a medical timeout in the second set, managed to push the match into a decider with a flawless tiebreak. However, Pegula raised her level in the final set, closing out the win with a series of aggressive winners.

Arthur Fils stuns Alexander Zverev as Dimitrov survives thriller

On the men’s side, top seed Alexander Zverev suffered a surprise 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 defeat to rising French star Arthur Fils, who reached his second consecutive Masters 1000 quarter-final after a strong run at Indian Wells. Zverev appeared in control after taking the first set but lost his accuracy in the decider, allowing the 20-year-old Fils to capitalize on key moments and ride the crowd’s energy to victory.

"In the third set I thought it was over almost, 3-1, he's serving great," Fils said. "But I said don’t get mad, just try to play as much as you can, try to fight and if you make a break, it’s nice. And it happened."

Elsewhere, Grigor Dimitrov battled through a grueling two-hour and 47-minute match, saving a match point to edge past Francisco Cerundolo 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-6(3). Dimitrov, who suffered an ankle scare late in the match, showed resilience to book a semi-final spot, where he will face either 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic or Sebastian Korda.

Due to scheduling adjustments under ATP rules, Djokovic’s quarter-final clash with Korda was pushed to Thursday after the previous matches ran late into the night.

SportsLigue