Dreamy

Alex Eala stunned herself more than she did world number two Iga Swiatek at the Miami quarterfinals. She started with belief in herself and ended winning in disbelief. She not only beat three grand slam winners in a row, she is also the lowest ranked player to defeat ranked two in the tournament of a prestige and magnitude just below the grand slam.

Confident, she grunts and pumps her fist to celebrate a point. Precise, she passed winners side to side and hit the lines inside. Cunning, she dropped shots in the middle of a baseline rally. Fearless, she attacked the net to punctuate a point, win or lose.

And lose she did to world number four Jessica Pegula in the semis. When everybody was watching. Must be increased pressure. Not really. Every match is different. Or foe. She bungled a set point in the first, but fought back to even the match in the second, only to be deserted by her forehand in the final set. But her countrymen did not abandon the teen sensation. Filipinos took a break from fixing their broken country regardless of the wisdom and efficacy of their remedy.

Alex may have lost the semis to Pegula, but she earned the respect of the women she played against. Swiatek conceded Eala did not hold back and went all out. Lights out, she must have meant. Pegula celebrated in relief after surviving what she called a tough match against a young opponent she described a tricky lefty. The American was clueless it sounds like a dangerous word in a conflicted Southeast Asian country divided by massive stupidity.

What is next for the Asian rising star is both curious and thrilling. Certainly, she is hungrier to dominate the cut throat competition against world threat. The lefty needs to serve all righty   faster and stronger. Otherwise, the woman at the other side of the net eats her first ball and devours the second. But tennis is not all about strength. It is mental more than physical at a moment most crucial. And the Filipina does not lack for focus and tricks to bail herself out of trouble. She erased a 0-4 deficit in the first set against Jelena Ostapenko and won in straight sets.

Now ranked 75, she solidifies her chance to be entered wild card or be seeded to the main draw of the crucible that is the grand slam. That would be another history, to add to her many firsts achieved in Miami. She will monopolize many more inaugural feat, because in this battle she is alone on her feet. Neither compatriot to share representation with nor second liner to await. Continuity, but for now the country should celebrate Alexandra the Great.