Eala's Miami Open run ends in semifinals with loss to Pegula

Alexandra Eala’s impressive Miami Open run ended with a 6-7 (7-3), 7-5, 3-6 loss to fourth-seeded Jessica Pegula in Thursday’s semifinals.

In a thrilling 2-hour, 24-minute battle, Pegula advanced to the final against world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who cruised past Italy’s Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-2 in just 71 minutes.

Eala, ranked No. 140 in the world, had entered the tournament with only two WTA main draw wins but stunned the tennis world by defeating three Grand Slam champions: Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys, and world No. 2 Iga Swiatek. As the lowest-ranked semifinalist in Miami Open history, the 19-year-old showed incredible resilience but ultimately fell short against Pegula.

After a tough start to the second set, where Pegula broke to take a 3-1 lead, Eala broke back and managed to hold her serve at 6-5 to force a decider. However, a late break in the final set gave Pegula a 5-3 lead, and she served out the match to seal her place in Saturday's final.

Pegula will face Sabalenka, who is seeking her first Miami Open title after a dominant performance against Paolini. The Belarusian blasted six aces and broke Paolini’s serve four times to reach the final for the first time in her career.

Sabalenka, coming off a loss to Mirra Andreeva in the Indian Wells final earlier this month and a defeat in the Australian Open final, said she’s focused on improving her performance in the upcoming final.

"I think in those finals I was more focusing on my opponents than on myself. I think I just have to bring the same attitude, the same mindset that I had today, I think I have to bring it in the finals," she said.

"I really feel this time I'm going to do better than I did in the last two finals," added the 26-year-old.

The 26-year-old Sabalenka is only the sixth woman to reach the finals of both Indian Wells and the Miami Open in the same season.

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