By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Alex Eala continued her rise in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings as she improved to a career-high No. 29 this week ahead of the Miami Open.
The 20-year-old Eala climbed three sports from No. 32 last week, buoyed by her Round of 16 finish at the BNP Paribas Open.
At the Indian Wells, Eala secured a first-round bye in the WTA1000 event before scoring wins against Dayana Yastremska, 7-5, 4-6, 7-5, and fourth seed Coco Gauff, 6-2, 2-0 (ret).
She, however, bowed to 14th pick Linda Noskova, 2-6, 0-6.
The Filipina tennis ace has been playing solidly in the Middle East and the United States over the past weeks, serving as a big boost heading into the second leg of the WTA’s “Sunshine Swing.”
At this week’s Miami Open — another WTA1000 tournament — Eala is seeded 31st and placed in the lower half of the draw, setting up a potential early showdown with familiar opponent in world No. 3 Iga Swiatek.
Both Eala and Swiatek received first-round byes and await their Round of 64 opponents, with victories setting up a Round of 32 clash.
The matchup would bring back memories of last year’s Miami Open quarterfinals, where Eala stunned the five-time Grand Slam champion, 6-2, 7-5.
The Miami Open holds a special place in Eala’s heart as it was where she made her breakthrough on the tour last year.
Ranked outside of 130, Eala turned heads by stunning one Grand Slam champion over another — Ostapenko, Madison Keys and Swiatek — before losing to 2024 US Open finalist Jessica Pegula in the semifinal.
Also standing in Eala’s way deeper in the draw are 17th seed Clara Tauson, 2023 French Open Finalist Karolina Muchova, world No. 9 Victoria Mboko and 2024 French Open semifinalist and Russian teen sensation Mirra Andreeva.
