MUCH has changed since Alex Eala’s debut in the Miami Open last year.
After making the final four in Miami last year, Eala now carries the weight of meeting higher expectations from fans and needing to win to retain her world rankings when she competes in the 2026 Miami Open.
She opened her 2026 Miami Open campaign with a three-set victory over Germany’s Laura Siegemund, 6-7, 6-3, 6-3, to advance in the round of 32 on Friday morning (Manila time) in Miami Gardens, Florida.
The 38-year-old Siegemund displayed immense grit in the opening frame, trading blows with the 20-year-old Eala before snatching the set in a 7-6 tiebreak win.
In the second frame, Eala showed improvement in her serves and leveled the match with a commanding 6-3 victory.
Eala dug deep in the deciding set and raced to a 4-1 lead before the veteran netter rallied to cut Eala’s lead down to 5-3.
Eala, however, prevented Siegemund to extend the match any longer and delivered precise power kills for a 6-3 victory.
"It really was close," said Eala, who needed three hours and 20 minutes to close out the victory.
"It was demanding, physically and mentally. But that was one of my goals last year after the tournament, to improve physically, and here I am fresh as a flower."
It was the longest WTA career match for Eala, who beat Swiatek in last year's Miami Open quarterfinals for the biggest win of her career before losing to American Jessica Pegula in the semifinals.
The Filipina took a moment to look back on how far she has come since her Miami Open debut last year.
From being ranked 140th before the Miami Open, Eala climbed to a career best 29th in the WTA rankings last week.
“A lot of things have changed for me, especially this year and this season, so I think I'm doing a good job of keeping that balance of being hungry and staying happy and still working hard,” Eala said after surviving a marathon match against Siegemund.
Last year, Eala also stunned world No. 5 Madison Keys in the round of 16 as a wild card entry.
“It means so much to me as a player and as a person. I came to Miami as a wildcard, and now I am in the third round again. I am really, really happy,” she said.
Up next up for Eala is a third-round clash against familiar foe Magda Linette, who scored an upset victory over Swiatek, 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, on Friday.
Eala defeated Linette in the 2026 ASB Classic in Auckland, while Linette otplayed Eala in the 2025 Nottingham Open and 2024 Abu Dhabi Open.
The Filipina needed to replicate last year’s top 4 finish to defend the 390 points required to maintain her Top 30 WTA ranking.
Following the expiration of those points last Wednesday, she saw her ranking drop by at least 20 positions via the WTA live ranking.
In the current official standings, the Filipina remains world No. 29, while Linette is No. 50.
Linette had to dig deep after Swiatek — who won their last encounter 6-1, 6-1 — raced through the opening set in 33 minutes.
But she stuck to her guns and Swiatek double-faulted to give Linette two break points in the 12th game of the second set, Linette forcing a third set with a return winner.