During her match, Sabalenka showed impressive precision, only faltering with a couple of mistimed overheads and an overly hopeful ‘tweener’ that lacked the punch to challenge her opponent. Her performance led to a decisive victory in just over an hour—a rapid 73 minutes, to be exact.
Expressing her satisfaction, Sabalenka said, “I’m thrilled to give myself yet another chance, another final, another shot at holding the trophy.” She acknowledged her rival’s skill, adding, “She’s such a formidable player, so I knew I had to fight for each and every point.”
Sabalenka’s 2025 season has already been eventful, marking her fourth final this year. She claimed a title in Brisbane at the start of January, though faced setbacks against Madison Keys at the Australian Open and Andreeva in Indian Wells just recently.
Meanwhile, Filipino sensation Eala, sitting at 140th in the world ranking prior to her Miami appearance, delivered astounding performances. Despite entering the tournament with just two main draw victories in WTA events, she triumphed over notable opponents, including Grand Slam champions like Jelena Ostapenko, Keys, and even world number two Iga Swiatek, propelling her to the semi-finals.
Eala etched her name in history as the lowest-ranked semi-finalist ever at the Miami Open, nearly edging out Pegula after a grueling two-hour and 24-minute battle, even breaking her opponent three times to capture the second set.
Reflecting on her remarkable run, Eala remarked, “For a week like this, everything has to fall into place, and that’s exactly what happened. My aim now is to maintain this momentum.” Her achievements in Miami are set to catapult her into the top 100 of the world rankings for the first time in her career next week, a milestone at her young age.
