Alexandra Eala says she was "on cloud nine" and "in complete disbelief" following her shock victory over Iga Swiatek in the Miami Open quarter-finals.
The world number 140, who had already beaten Jelena Ostapenko and Madison Keys earlier this fortnight, continued her remarkable run at the WTA 1000 event with a 6-2 7-5 win.
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A wildcard for this tournament, Eala became the first player from the Philippines to reach a WTA tour-level semi-final.
The 19-year-old is also the third wildcard to progress to the last four in Miami, after Justine Henin in 2010 and Victoria Azarenka eight years later.
wild card
— wta (@WTA) March 26, 2025
wild win#MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/xFvzsBextv
"I'm in complete disbelief right now, I'm on cloud nine," Eala said in her on-court interview.
"It's so surreal. I'm so happy and so blessed to be able to compete with such a player on this stage.
"My coach told me to run, to go for every ball, to take all the opportunities I can, because a five-time Slam champion is not going to give you the win."
The reward for Eala, who will climb into world's top 100 for the first time, is a last-four clash with either Jessica Pegula or Emma Raducanu.
