World No.2 Iga Swiatek knocked out of Miami Open after harrowing family ordeal

Philippine wildcard Alexandra Eala has pulled off the biggest win of her young career with a stunning 6-2 7-5 upset of Polish world No.2 Iga Swiatek to extend her dream run at the Miami Open into the semi-finals.

The big-hitting 19-year-old left-hander showed no signs of intimidation playing against one of her idols and was instead a picture of poise as she dismantled Swiatek’s serve early on in Wednesday’s quarter-final clash to grab control of the match.

“I don’t know what to say, I mean, complete just disbelief right now and I am on cloud nine,” said Eala, who has lived the last six years in Mallorca, training at the Rafael Nadal Tennis Academy.

Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today

“It’s forever in my heart.”

Swiatek played the match with added security watching over her and her team after she had been verbally abused by a spectator at the weekend.

A man shouted personal insults about Swiatek’s family during a training session and had previously sent abusive online messages to her through social media.

“The Miami incident appears to be a direct transition from verbal aggression online to harassment in the real world,” representatives of the world No.2 said.

“He was aggressive and taunting.”

Asked after her defeat to Eala whether the security situation disrupted her preparation, Swiatek replied: “No, I wouldn’t say so.”

But the five-time grand slam champion was a shadow of herself in the face of Eala swinging freely to unleash winners from all over the court.

Swiatek failed to hold serve throughout the first set, hitting a staggering 19 unforced errors., and then received some advice from her coach before briefly leaving the court.

In the second set, Eala managed to overturn a 4-2 deficit and then held her nerve while Swiatek tried to serve out the set at 5-4 before ultimately closing it out with her eighth break of the match.

For Australian Open girls’ doubles winner Eala, the victory over Swiatek marked the third grand slam winner she had knocked out of the women’s draw after earlier wins over Australian Open champion Madison Keys and 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko.

Up next for Eala will be the winner of the day’s other quarter-final between American fourth seed Jessica Pegula and 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu of Britain.

In the wake of Swiatek’s abuse incident, the WTA said player safety was their top priority.

“There are comprehensive security protocols in place to make sure that any incidents are handled promptly and effectively,” the association said.

“The details of these are not something we discuss publicly, but we are steadfast in our commitment to maintaining a safe environment for players and everyone attending one of our events.”

In a statement the Miami Open said it took the safety and security of all players and tournament attendees extremely seriously.

“We constantly evaluate any potential threats and take every measure to respond appropriately,” the statement said.

“To ensure the effectiveness of these efforts, we do not disclose the details of our security operations.”

At the Dubai Championships last month, Britain’s Emma Raducanu said she could barely breathe and her eyes filled with tears when a stalker who had approached her earlier in the tournament was in the stands during her match.

Raducanu spoke to the chair umpire, and the man was ejected from the court and later detained by police.

Click here to read article