Alex Eala survives Laura Siegemund, reaches Miami Open third round
LIVE: Alex Eala vs Laura Siegemund – Miami Open – Round of 64
FILE–Alexandra Eala of the Philippines. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)
MANILA, Philippines–Alex Eala outlasted Laura Siegemund of Germany, 6-7 (6), 6-3, 6-3, to advance to the third round of the Miami Open.
Eala recovered from a tough first set loss to dispatch Siegemund, currently ranked No. 53 in the world, in three hours and 20 minutes, kicking off her campaign in the tournament that sparked her rise last year.
READ: Alex Eala looks to sustain rise as Miami Open points expire
“It definitely was close. Very demanding physically and mentally,” Eala said after her Round of 64 match. “But that was one of my goals last year after this tournament was to improve physically, and here I am fresh as a flower.”
Something about Eala in Miami! ☀️
Eala fights back to defeat Siegemund in a thrilling three set battle. #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/vGSU5yx68j
— wta (@WTA) March 19, 2026
Eala squandered a 3-0 lead and four set points in the grueling opening set, including one at 6-5 in the tiebreak, allowing Siegemund to take it.
The Filipino tennis ace, however, dug deep to overcome Siegemund’s veteran savvy in the succeeding sets.
Eala raced to a 5-2 lead in the deciding third set, but Siegemund threatened again and saved two match points to cut the deficit to 5-3. The 20-year-old then held serve to win the match.
The victory set up a potential clash with No. 2 seed Iga Swiatek, whom she beat during her breakthrough run in Miami last year as a qualifier.
This time, Eala is seeded No. 31 and received a bye into the Round of 64 after a whirlwind year that saw her reach a career-high No. 29 in the WTA rankings.
“It means a lot to me. It says a lot about my progress and how I’ve developed as a player and as a person,” Eala said.
“I came into Miami last year as a wildcard, now I’m in the third round again, so I’m really, really happy and especially having been able to compete at this level today against an amazing fighter.”
Eala faces the winner between Swiatek and Magda Linette in the next round.
