One thing about Alexandra Eala that has made her instantly appealing to Filipino fans during heroic Miami Open run

Alexandra Eala is currently competing at the 2025 Miami Open and is having a brilliant run at the tournament. However, what has truly captured the hearts of Filipino fans is Eala's commitment to her roots, which is maintaining her Filipino accent without conforming to any other standard.

The 19-year-old was granted a wild card entry into the main draw of the WTA 1000 event in Florida and she began her campaign by defeating Katie Volynets 6-3, 7-6(3) in the first round, followed by victories over Jelena Ostapenko 7-6(2), 7-5, and fifth seed Madison Keys 6-4, 6-2 in the second and third rounds, respectively.

The World No.140 secured her place in the quarterfinals after her fourth-round opponent, 10th seed Paula Badosa, withdrew from the tournament due to a lower back injury.

In the quarterfinals, Alexandra Eala triumphed over five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek with a score of 6-2, 7-5 to advance to the semifinals of the 2025 Miami Open, her first WTA semifinal appearance. By reaching the final four, Eala also became the first Filipina WTA semifinalist.

In the wake of her remarkable journey to the semifinals, many Filipino fans expressed their admiration for Alexandra Eala maintaining her Filipino accent, rather than adopting an American or any other accent to blend in.

"Coming from a country where speaking in American accent is quite a big deal, it is refreshing to hear Alex Eala’s Filipino accent on her interviews. Nakakaproud. 🥹 ," a fan posted.

"One last thing before I shut down: I absolutely adore that Alex Eala has a Filipino accent (a posher one, but still very Filipino nonetheless). Lots of college-educated Filipino youth try to speak with an American accent so hers is so refreshing," a fan wrote.

"That beautiful neutral Filipino accent 🥹 ," a fan posted.

Prior to her competing at the 2025 Miami Open, Alexandra Eala competed at the Mumbai Open, where she defeated Sara Saito in the first round before being eliminated by Mai Hontama in the second round.

---

Alexandra Eala will face Jessica Pegula at the 2025 Miami Open SF

Alexandra Eala at the 2025 Miami Open [Image Source: Getty Images]

Alexandra Eala will take on Jessica Pegula in the semifinals of the 2025 Miami Open. Pegula is seeded fourth at the WTA 1000 hard court tournament in Florida and she kicked off her campaign in the second round after receiving a first-round bye.

The former World No.3 defeated American qualifier Bernarda Pera 6-4, 6-4 in the opening round. She then went on to triumph over 32nd seed Anna Kaliskaya 6-7(3), 6-2, 7-6(3) and 23rd seed Marta Kostyuk 6-2, 6-3 in the third and fourth rounds, respectively. In the quarterfinals, Pegula overcame Emma Raducanu 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-2 to advance to the semifinals, where she will face Eala.

The final four match between Alexandra Eala and Jessica Pegula at the 2025 Miami Open will mark the first time these two players will meet on the WTA Tour. The winner of this match will move on to face either top seed Aryna Sabalenka or sixth seed Jasmine Paolini in the final of the WTA 1000 event.