Alex Eala will be facing a familiar rival in the third round of the Miami Open after Magda Linette stunned five-time Grand Slam champion and second seed Iga Swiatek, 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, on Friday, March 20 (Philippine time).
Linette’s upset win came a few hours after Eala survived her own Round of 64 match against Grand Slam doubles champion Laura Siegemund, 6-7 ( 8 ), 6-3, 6-3, following her opening round bye in this WTA1000 event.
It will mark Eala’s fourth meeting with Linette, a seasoned Grand Slam campaigner who reached the semifinals of the 2023 Australian Open. The 34-year-old Polish standout has also made deep runs in doubles, advancing to the semis of the 2021 French Open and the quarterfinals of the 2023 US Open.
Linette has also reached eight finals on the WTA Tour, winning three titles.
At the Australian Open a few months back, Linette reached the third round but lost to Karolina Muchova.
Despite sitting 21 spots below Eala in the rankings at No. 50, Linette holds the edge in their head-to-head, winning two of their three meetings against the world No. 29 Filipina ace.
But Eala prevailed in their recent duel – 6-3, 6-2 triumph in the quarterfinals of the ASB Classic in New Zealand last January.
Unlike Eala, who secured an opening-round bye, Linette had to dig deep and first survived Varvara Gracheva, 2-6, 6-2, 6-0, before shocking Swiatek.
