Alex Eala reunites with Iva Jovic for the women’s doubles draw of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, as the young tandem looks to build on its semifinal run in Auckland earlier this year.
Alex Eala will reunite with Iva Jovic for the women’s doubles competition of the 2026 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.
The Eala-Jovic duo will face the wildcard tandem of Hailey Baptiste and Jelena Ostapenko in the opening round on Friday, March 7.
Eala, currently no. 105 in the doubles rankings, teams up once again with the 18-year-old Jovic, who sits at no. 133 in the same category.
Eala and Jovic first partnered at the ASB Classic in Auckland last January, where they made an impressive run to the semifinals.
[ALSO READ: Alex Eala, Iva Jovic bow out in ASB Classic doubles semis vs veteran Chinese duo]
Indian Wells will be Eala's third straight WTA 1000, and the Filipina has already trained alongside fellow tour players Diana Shnaider and Madison Keys ahead of the tournament.
In singles, Eala enters the BNP Paribas Open as the no. 31 seed, which comes with a first-round bye.
She will open her campaign in the round of 64 against either Zhang Shuai or Dayana Yastremska, with the match expected on Saturday.
If Eala advances, she could set up a potential rematch with world no. 4 Coco Gauff in the round of 32.
The two last met in the quarterfinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships two weeks ago, where Gauff secured a straight-sets victory.
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Kiko Demigillo’s journey in sports storytelling began with a deep passion for games and athletes, which eventually grew into a full-fledged career.
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