Alex Eala repeats over Magda Linette to reach round of 16 in Miami Open

MANILA, Philippines – Going into the Miami Open, Alex Eala said she would have been fine with losing in the first round knowing she had already proven she belongs on the tour. And yet, she is through to the fourth round.

Eala advanced to the round of 16 of the WTA 1000 tournament after a 6-3, 7-6 win over Poland’s Magda Linette before a huge crowd at the Grandstand of the Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday, March 21 (Sunday, March 22, Philippine time).

It marked the second time this year that Eala beat the 34-year-old Linette after the Filipina earned a 6-3, 6-2 win in their quarterfinal duel in the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand, in January.

The 20-year-old evened her head-to-head record with Linette at 2-2 following losses in their first two encounters, falling in straight sets in the 2024 Abu Dhabi Open and 2025 Nottingham Open. 

“Patience was a very key aspect of how I played today. Magda is such a fighter and every time I play against her, she has put me in such difficult positions. Kudos to her and I really enjoyed the battle,” said Eala. 

After a marathon three-set win over Germany’s Laura Siegemund in the previous round that took 3 hours and 20 minutes to finish, Eala had looked on her way to another three-set match as Linette grabbed 5-4 and 6-5 leads in the second set.

But Eala held serve in the 12th game then dominated the veteran Pole in the tiebreak as she reached the fourth round of a third straight WTA 1000 event following a quarterfinal bid in the Dubai Tennis Championships and a round of 16 stint in the Indian Wells Open.

The win also kept Eala on track of replicating or even surpassing her historic semifinal run in Miami last year, one that saw her pull off a series of upsets over Grand Slam champions Iga Swiatek of Poland, Madison Keys of the United States, and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia.

It only gets tougher for Eala from here on out as she battles world No. 14 Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic next.

Muchova made at least the quarterfinals in all of the four Grand Slams, including a runner-up finish in the 2023 French Open.

But the experience Eala has gained since her Miami breakthrough has prepared her for such important battles. 

“I think I’ve matured a lot in the past year. I’ve been put in a lot of high-pressure moments, a lot of big stages, which I’m so grateful for and wouldn’t trade for the world,” Eala said. 

“Being back in the fourth round, it makes me feel the same as I did last year. I’m so happy. I’m so excited. It’s such a privilege to be back in Miami.” – Rappler.com