Alexandra Eala had the biggest week of her tennis career at the Miami Open in March. She beat three Grand Slam champions — Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys and Iga Świątek — on her way to the semifinals, where she had 2024 U.S. Open finalist Jessica Pegula on the ropes in what was ultimately a three-set defeat. Eala, 19, who has been making tennis history for the Philippines for most of her life, was the most surprising star of the tournament.
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More surprising, for anyone familiar with the uneasy relationship between tennis and media, was how quickly she became a star on the women’s tennis tour’s YouTube, too. By the Monday
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