TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS

If tennis' broadcasters were hoping for emotional scenes of tears from teenager Alexandra Eala after she secured one of the biggest upsets of the WTA season they were left disappointed.

But the final point, as she broke the serve of world No 2 Iga Swiatek, for the eighth time, revealed much more about the young Filipina than any waterworks would have.

The big-hitting 19-year-old showed no signs of being intimidated playing against one of her idols, and was, instead, a picture of poise, as she dismantled Swiatek's serve early on to grab control of the match — and never looked like relinquishing it thereafter.

"I don't know what to say," Eala said in her on-court interview. "I mean, I'm just in complete disbelief right now, and I am on cloud nine.

"It's forever in my heart."

Eala's face quivered, on the edge of tears, as she began to process the magnitude of her victory, which sent her into the semifinals of the Miami Open, but she kept her emotions in check, composed herself and celebrated in a controlled manner, before calmly and diligently undertaking her post-match duties.

"I think I was so in the moment, and I made it a point to be in the moment on every point, that it's hard to realize what just happened. It's hard to realize that you won the match," she explained, when asked about her immediate emotions after beating the five-time major winner.

"I really tried to soak it all in, because this has never happened to me before, and that's why I was looking at the screen. You know, I really wanted to keep that moment in my mind," she added.

In the biggest game of her WTA Tour career to date, Eala played with a poise that belied her inexperience, but underscored an impressive level of preparation for such a moment.

"I don't have a lot of experience on the WTA Tour, that's for sure, but I do have experience with compartmentalizing. I have experience with being professional," she said.

"I have no hesitation in bringing that part of me out when I'm on court, and when I'm in a setting that calls for professionalism," she added.

Professional

Of course, Eala has been in a professional setting since she was 13, when she left her homeland to join Rafael Nadal's academy in Mallorca.

For the past six years, she has lived and breathed tennis alongside top coaches and a group of players all hoping to make the journey onto the tour.

But, she says her noticeably businesslike approach was gained more from her family, rather than the daily regime in Spain.

"It's not something I learned in the academy. It's something I've gotten from, I guess, from my experience; the things I have been through leading up to this moment. It's also something my family has guided me through, it's part of my family's values," she said.

"They are successful people in business, they are successful in their own fields, and people I look up to. I think they lead by example when it comes to that."

The twin influences on her career were evident in her box — her parents had flown in from the Philippines for the game, as had an uncle and cousin who are based in Seattle, but sat with them was Toni Nadal, the Spanish great's uncle and former coach, representing the academy.

"So, a lot of extra motivation for my match today. I really wanted to have my family see me winning, but I know they'd be happy just to see me compete in this setting.

"And Toni also came to Miami. That did mean a lot, because I have been working closely with him for so long, alongside my main coaches from the academy, it showed a lot about the confidence and the pride the academy has in me," she added.

Extra security

There was still time for her to reflect on an old photograph of her meeting Swiatek at a graduation event at the academy two years ago, and to express her hope that her win would inspire youngsters in her homeland to take up the sport.

There have been many teenagers make dramatic entrances at the elite level of the WTA over the years, some have flourished, some have fallen away quickly, but few will have arrived with such a self-assured professionalism as the teenager from Quezon City.

Swiatek, who was playing the match with added security after being verbally abused by a spectator at the weekend, failed to hold serve throughout the first set, while Eala was swinging freely, unleashing winners from all over the court.

Swiatek, who has 22 WTA Tour titles to her name, hit a staggering 19 unforced errors in the opening set, and then received some advice from her coach before briefly leaving the court.

In the second set, Eala managed to overturn a 4-2 deficit and then held her nerve as Swiatek tried to serve out the set at 5-4, before ultimately closing it out with her eighth break of the match.

The victory made Swiatek the third Grand Slam winner Eala has knocked out of the women's draw, after her earlier wins over Australian Open champion Madison Keys and 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko.

Up next will be American fourth seed Jessica Pegula, who knocked out 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu of Britain 6-4,6-7 (3), 6-2.

Fils upsets Zverev

In the men's play, France's Arthur Fils upset top-seed Alexander Zverev with an outstanding display earning him a 3-6, 6-3,6-4 win over the German in the fourth round of the Miami Open on Wednesday.

The 20-year-old Frenchman will face 19-year-old Czech Jakub Mensik in the quarterfinals with both players chasing their first Masters 1000 semifinal spot.

Rallying from a set down, Fils showed great determination to fight his way back and go 4-1 up in the second set.

Zverev responded to take a 3-1 lead early in the third but again Fils refused to let the match slip from his grasp.

Fils, using his athleticism and his powerful forehand, broke back to 3-2 and then when Zverev went long on a return took a 4-3 lead.

Zverev held when serving to stay in the game at 5-4 down but Fils kept his composure to serve out for one of the biggest wins of his career.

The victory was all the more impressive given that Fils later revealed he was suffering from back pain.

"I was feeling not great in the rallies. I've had a little problem in my back since I was young, so sometimes it hurts me a little bit," explained Fils.

"I had to find a rhythm, (be) more aggressive and come into the court to play my game and not let him play, because when you let him play he is one of the best tennis players in the world. I'm really happy about the way I did it," he added.

The fourth round contest was postponed to Wednesday after rain on Tuesday forced a change to the schedule.

In the opening quarterfinal, Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov battled back from a set down to beat Argentine Francisco Cerundolo 6-7 (8), 6-4, 7-6 (3) in a riveting duel.

Agencies