By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Alex Eala braces for a stern test as she looks not only to surpass last year’s breakthrough run but also regain precious ranking points when she takes on former Grand Slam doubles champion Laura Siegemund in the Round of 64 at the Miami Open.
Match is set on Thursday, March 19 (Philippine time) with the Filipina tennis ace seeking a strong start in the WTA1000 event against the German veteran, who downed Petra Marcinko, 6-4, 6-4, in the Round of 168.
The 20-year-old Eala entered the week with a career-high No. 29, but plummeted to No. 50 in the WTA live and unofficial rankings as of Wednesday, March 18, following the expiration of points she earned during last year’s run.
Under the WTA’s 52-week ranking system, players drop the points they earned from the same event the previous year once the tournament gets underway again. In Eala’s case, she has already shed roughly 380 of the 390 points she gained from last year’s semifinal run.
Still, live rankings remain unofficial and fluctuate as the tournament progresses, only becoming official at the end of the event or with the weekly update every Monday.
But the rankings are the least of Eala’s worries.
Though the German has never won a Grand Slam singles title, she is a quarterfinalist in the 2020 French Open and 2025 Wimbledon Open.
In doubles, she is a legend. She captured the 2020 US Open women’s doubles title, the mixed doubles crowns at the 2024 French Open and 2016 Wimbledon, and the 2023 WTA Finals women’s doubles with different partners.
She is also a quarterfinalist in singles at the 2016 Rio Olympics and mixed doubles at the 2020 Tokyo Games, underscoring her versatility on the biggest stages.
Banking on a first-round bye, Eala hopes it gave her enough time to rest, fine-tune her game and prepare for the tough challenge ahead.
She is coming off an impressive Round of 16 finish in Indian Wells last week, catapulting her rise from the official rankings.
