Alexandra Eala has 'hands given by God' as teen sensation tipped for greatness after dream Miami Open run
Published 02/04/2025 at 12:11 GMT+1
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Alexandra Eala had a dream run at the Miami Open, beating three Grand Slam champions on her way to the semi-finals. And the teenager has greatly impressed TNT Sports expert Mats Wilander, who claimed that "talent is just boiling out of the fingers" as he tipped her for a big future. Wilander compared the potential impact of Eala to that of John McEnroe's in the late 1970s and 1980s.
Image credit: SID
Mats Wilander has hailed teenage sensation Alexandra Eala, saying she has "hands given by God" and compared her unique skillset to the qualities that made tennis legend John McEnroe stand out in the 1980s.
Former US Open junior champion Eala had only previously had two match wins on the WTA Tour when she went to the Miami Open as a wildcard.
But she claimed a number of surprise victories in Florida, including over world No. 2 Iga Swiatek, as she brilliantly reached the semi-finals.
Wilander is clearly very impressed with what he's seeing from the 19-year-old from the Philippines, seeing similarities with seven-time Grand Slam champion McEnroe and former Australian Open finalist Marcelo Rios.
"With Alexandra Eala, we're talking about someone who has hands given by God," Wilander told TNT Sports.
"She understands the game as good as any player on tour. She reminds me of Marcelo Rios, where the talent is just boiling out of the fingers and boiling out of her hand, and she can do anything. And then the reason I say Marcelo Rios is, of course, she's left-handed."
He continued: "In the women's game, that is so cool that we have someone that comes out that does all these things that maybe [Aryna] Sabalenka and Swiatek are not great at doing. They're great at other things.
"But suddenly, we have a player that can play tennis that is mystical to the rest of us. Like, 'Oh, my God, how do you do that? How do you understand tennis? How do you hit those shots?'
"The feel, the understanding, I love it. It's basically what John McEnroe did to us in the 1980s."
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Eala also beat former French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko and current Australian Open champion Madison Keys on her way to the last four in Miami.
And Wilander says tennis fans are going to enjoy seeing where her career goes from here.
"To me, Eala is such a breath of fresh air and I don't think that she's going to go away, she's too smart, her talent is too good, she's too gifted," Wilander added.
"She learned how to win when she was 12, so that's not a problem. We're going to love watching her develop into a great player, because I do think that she's going to become one."
Eala's run was eventually ended by Jessia Pegula in the semi-finals. But soon after, she said on social media how proud she was of her performances at the tournament.
"Wow, this year’s Miami Open has left me speechless and so full of emotion, mostly pride and gratitude," Eala wrote.
"I’m proud of myself for pushing through those tough moments, as well as to have been able to make a statement for the Philippines in one of the biggest stages of tennis."
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