Alex Eala opens Miami Open bid vs German veteran

MANILA, Philippines – It will be youth versus experience as Alex Eala begins her Miami Open quest against one of the oldest players on the WTA Tour.

Through to the round of 64 after receiving a first-round bye as the 31st seed, Eala opens her campaign against 38-year-old Laura Siegemund of Germany as the 20-year-old Filipina eyes another deep run in the WTA 1000 tournament following her historic run to the semifinals last year.

Siegemund, who is the second-oldest player in the top 60 at No. 53, is fresh from a 6-4, 6-4 win over Croatia’s Petra Marcinko in the round of 128.

While Siegemund has the wealth of experience, having won two WTA Tour titles and going as far as the third round of the Australian Open and US Open multiple times, Eala has proven to be the more consistent player this year. 

Eala reached the quarterfinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships and made the round of 16 in the Indian Wells Open — two consecutive WTA 1000 events that saw her upset top-10 players in No. 7 Jasmine Paolini of Italy and No. 4 Coco Gauff of the United States.

Siegemund, meanwhile, failed to advance past the round of 64 in the five tournaments she took part in this year as she suffered early exits from Indian Wells, Dubai, Qatar Open, Australian Open, and Adelaide International. 

If she beats Siegemund and moves on to the round of 32, Eala will cover 65 of the 390 points she needs to defend in Miami. 

Eala rose to a career-high No. 29 in the WTA rankings released last Monday, March 16, but she has fallen to No. 50 in the live and unofficial rankings following the expiration of the 390 points she gained from her 2025 campaign in Miami, where she stunned Grand Slam champions Iga Swiatek of Poland, Madison Keys of the United States, and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia on the way to the semifinals.

Another clash with Swiatek is on horizon for Eala if she makes the round of 32, with the six-time major winner battling compatriot Magda Linette in the round of 64.

Other top players in the same bracket as Eala include world No. 9 Victoria Mboko of Canada, No. 10 Mirra Andreeva of Russia, No. 14 Karolina Muchova of Czech Republic, and No. 16 Clara Tauson of Denmark. 

The Eala-Siegemund duel is expected to be held on Friday, March 20 (Manila time). – Rappler.com