Filipina teen tennis sensation Alex Eala will be joining the world’s best players when she competes in the main draw of the Miami Open which is scheduled from March 21 to April 3.
The 16-year-old Eala, the former doubles champion of the Australian Open junior and French Open junior, saw action last year in the Miami Open qualifiers where she lost in the first round.
This time around, Eala will not have to go through the qualifying rounds as she was one of eight players given wildcard slots in the main draw of the competition.
Two prominent names among the wild card entries are former world no. 1 Naomi Osaka and 2020 Australian Open women’s singles champion Sofia Kenin.
Eight out of the top 10 women’s players in the world are competing in the tournament led by world no. 2 and 2020 French Open champion Iga Swiatel of Poland, world no. 3 Maria Sakkari of Greece, and world no. 5 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus.
Reigning US Open champion Emma Raducanu will also be gunning for the title as the 11th seed in the competition.
Eala, ranked 565th in the world, will have for her first round opponent 31-year-old American Madison Brengle whom she faces on Wednesday. Ranked 59th in the world, Brengle won her first pro title in 2005 when she was 15. She has been a fixture in the grand slam events since 2007.
