When Alex Eala and Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic battle each other on Wednesday, both will be vying for a quarterfinal spot at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, United States.
They will also be adding another chapter to a rivalry that began eight years ago.
During the 2018 Les Petits As – Le Mondial Lacoste in Tarbes, France, a 12-year-old Eala and a 13-year-old Noskova faced off in the finals of what is considered the most prestigious Under-14 tournament in the world.
The still-unknown Eala introduced herself on the international stage, showing remarkable grit by coming back from a set down to snatch the title away from the seventh-seeded Czech prodigy, 5-7, 6-3, 7-6(5).
It would take two and a half years before a rematch would take place — and once again on French soil.
On the red clay of Roland Garros, Eala delivered a repeat victory over Noskova, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, in the French Open juniors quarterfinals.
Both would eventually enjoy stellar junior careers, with Noskova claiming the singles title at the French Open juniors in 2021, and Eala becoming the US Open girls’ champion in 2022.
Between the two, it was Noskova who first broke through on the WTA Tour.
From a ranking of 264 at the end of 2021, she climbed to 87th in 2022 — three months before turning 18 — as the youngest player in the world that season to reach the top 100. The following year, she became the youngest player to crack the top 50 for the season.
Her best Grand Slam performance came at the 2024 Australian Open, where she reached the quarterfinals, ousting then-world No. 1 and top seed Iga Swiatek of Poland in the third round.
Now ranked 14th in the world, with a career high of 12th, Noskova will hold the advantage not just in experience but also in power over Eala in their first encounter at the professional level.
Noskova is known for her aggressive style of play, attacking every shot as if she wants to obliterate the ball. It would be unwise for Eala to engage the stronger Noskova in a slugfest from the baseline.
Eala’s key will be to prevent Noskova from setting up her explosive groundstrokes. That will require deploying a varied arsenal of spins, drop shots, and drives to keep Noskova off balance and constantly moving.
Variety and movement will give Eala the chance to put Noskova on the back foot. Quick exchanges, instead of long rallies, might favor Eala, as it will prevent Noskova from imposing herself in the rallies.
If Eala can create doubt and hesitation in her opponent, the Filipina tennis ace could make Noskova tentative on both her groundstrokes and serves.
In her two matches thus far in Indian Wells, Noskova has committed an average of six double faults, and the 21-year-old Czech has been winning only 50% of her second serves.
Eala demonstrated against Coco Gauff that she is unafraid to attack an opponent’s spotty second serve.
The winner of Wednesday’s match will advance to the final eight to face the winner between seventh seed Jasmine Paolini of Italy and 21-year-old qualifier Talia Gibson of Australia.
