What Alex Eala’s upcoming Miami Open run means for her world ranking?

MANILA, Philippines – Just like in the Indian Wells Open, Alex Eala will receive a first-round bye in her return to the Miami Open, the tournament that marked a turning point in her career.

That is an advantage as one of the 32 seeded players, with Eala currently ranked No. 32 in the world and expected to climb to No. 28 when the new WTA rankings are released on Monday, March 16, after she reached the round of 16 in Indian Wells. 

But the Filipina tennis star is in danger of losing that perk as she needs to go on another deep run in Miami to defend the points she gained from her semifinal appearance in 2025 or suffer a substantial drop in the rankings. 

Rankings explained

Following a rolling 52-week cumulative ranking system, the WTA determines the singles players’ rankings by the results of a maximum of 18 tournaments, or 19 for those who take part in the season-ending WTA Finals.

Those 18 tournaments include the four Grand Slams (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon Championships, and US Open), the best results from six 1000-level combined events (Indian Wells and Miami, for example), the best result from a WTA-only 1000 event (Qatar Open, Dubai Tennis Championships, and Wuhan Open), and best results from seven other events. 

Grand Slams offer the most points, with the champion and the finalist getting 2,000 and 1,300 points, respectively. 

In 1000-level events like Indian Wells and Miami, the points distribution is as follows: 1,000 for winning the title, 650 for reaching the final, 390 for the semifinals, 215 for the quarterfinals, 120 for the round of 16, 65 for the round of 32, 35 for the round of 64, and 10 for the round of 128.

When the WTA updates its rankings on Monday, Eala is projected to rise to a career-high No. 28, having earned 120 points for making the round of 16 in Indian Wells, although her spot in the world top 30 is in jeopardy if she fails to defend the 390 points she obtained from Miami in 2025, which accounts for one-fourth of the 1,542 points she currently owns. 

As the 32nd seed in Miami this year, Eala advances directly to the round of 64 and will gain 65 points if she wins her opening match and makes the round of 32.

However, she will get significantly less if she crashes out of the round of 64, as the WTA rulebook states that players who receive a bye and lose their first match will be given the first-round losers’ points, which are 10 points for the round of 128.

In that scenario, Eala will lose 380 points and face the possibility of slipping outside the top 50, so every win is crucial in cushioning the fall.

Of course, the most ideal result for Eala is the championship, which means an additional 610 points that will propel her to the top 20.

Miami magic

Eala has proven that she can be as dangerous as any of the world’s best players, with her Miami campaign in 2025 seeing her pull off a series of upsets over Grand Slam champions Iga Swiatek of Poland, Madison Keys of the USA, and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia. 

Then ranked 140th in the world, Eala first shocked 2017 French Open winner Ostapenko in the round of 64, then stunned 2025 Australia Open titlist Keys in the round of 32, before she claimed arguably her most high-profile victim when she surprised six-time major champion and former world No. 1 Swiatek in the quarterfinals.

Eala eventually lost in the semifinals to current world No. 5 Jessica Pegula of the USA, but that Cinderalla run in Miami catapulted the Filipina to greater heights as she made the world top 100 for the first time, which merited automatic entry to the main draw of Grand Slams. 

The 20-year-old Eala has continued her giant-slaying ways this 2026.

On her way to the quarterfinals in Dubai, Eala beat current world No. 7 Jasmine Paolini of Italy in the round of 32 for her first top-10 win of the year.

In Indian Wells, Eala was dominating current world No. 4 Coco Gauff in their round of 32 clash, 6-2, 2-0, when the two-time Grand Slam champion retired due to an injury. 

“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,” said Eala in a story on the Indian Wells Open website. 

“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.”

While the pressure is on for Eala to weave the same magic in Miami, she is unfazed by any possible result, knowing she has proven herself worthy of her place on the tour.

“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.” – Rappler.com