Filipina tennis ace Alex Eala is coming back to the Miami Open as a changed player after her breakthrough campaign last year.
The Miami Open holds a special place in Alex Eala’s heart, as it marked a pivotal point in her tennis career last year, when she reached the semifinals of the WTA 1000 tournament.
Returning to the competition a year removed, and now projected to enter the Top 30 in the WTA rankings, Eala isn’t paying too much mind to just one tournament in her whole 2026 season.
The 20-year-old isn’t keen on putting all her eggs in one basket, and focuses rather on the bigger picture.
“Miami last year was a beautiful time for me, and it was the start of all of this. But since then, I’ve achieved a lot as well,” Eala said in an
article from Indian Wells.
“I’ve grown a lot and I’ve had so many good matches, so many tough losses, so much experience since then. And that’s helped me build confidence, self-esteem, and I know that I belong here,” she added.
Though Miami brought tremendous attention to Eala, the former Rafa Nadal Academy scholar has been able to sustain that momentum after achieving multiple milestones in 2025.
She’s also starting out 2026 with big strides, including a quarterfinals appearance in her debut in Indian Wells.
Among her biggest highlights following Miami was her debut in the main draw of all Grand Slams. She nabbed a Grand Slam women’s singles win in the main draw in the US Open last year.
She also had her first WTA Final in Eastbourne, where she fell painstakingly short of the crown against Maya Joint.
Eala also won the WTA 125 tournament in Guadalajara – her first title at the WTA Challenger level.
As part of the national team, the Quezon City native also won her first SEA Games gold medal after ruling the women’s singles in Thailand late last year. This ended a decades-long drought of gold medals in women’s singles for the Philippines.
As she returns to the place that started it all, Eala isn’t too pressured to do it all again.
“So it doesn't matter if I win the tournament in Miami or if I lose in the first round, I know I'm here and I'm here to stay,” she said.
Eala enters the second tournament of the Sunshine Swing on a high after a deep run in Indian Wells where she also nabbed another Top 10 win, this time beating former doubles partner and World No. 4 Coco Gauff in the third round.
She succumbed in two sets against World No. 14 Linda Noskova in the quarters, 6-2, 6-0.
Despite the tough loss, Eala was able to gain positives from her campaign all-around.
“I do leave with happiness. I think tomorrow I'll be a bit happier than I am now. Of course, the initial feelings after the match are a tough pill to swallow, but I'm in the fourth round of Indian Wells. I'm really happy about that,” said Eala.
“It's still something I'm really proud of. And I wish it could have ended under different circumstances, but it is what it is and there will be a next time for sure,” she continued.
The Miami Open is slated to begin on March 17.
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Luisa Morales is a sports writer with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.
Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team, and mixed martial arts.