What happened in Alexandra Eala’s first-ever WTA Tour match at the Miami Open

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Alexandra Eala is now one of the most popular players in women’s tennis, but where did it all begin?

Enjoying a strong junior career, the Filipina received a wild card for the 2021 Miami Open qualifying tournament.

The teenager needed two wins to advance to the main draw.

Her first task was to take down Slovakia’s Viktoria Hruncakova.

Eala stepped on court as a big underdog, ranked 633 places below Hruncakova in the WTA rankings…

Alexandra Eala lost a three-set thriller on her WTA Tour debut

Playing her first tour-level match, Eala made a strong start on Court Seven.

Ranked 737th in the world, the Filipina immediately put pressure on her more experienced opponent.

So much so that she won the first set, 6-4.

She continued to impress in the second set, but Hruncakova found another gear to force a decider.

Unfortunately for Eala, she ran out of steam in the third set, slipping to a 6-4, 4-6, 2-6 defeat in her first WTA Tour match.

She didn’t let that defeat get to her, though, bouncing back with a point to prove in her second tour-level match.

Receiving another wild card, this time for the 2021 Transylvania Open, Eala met Argentinian qualifier Paula Ormaechea.

The ranking discrepancy between Eala and Ormaechea wasn’t quite as large as it was in her first WTA match, but she still entered the match with the odds stacked against her.

• Alexandra Eala – World number 639
• Paula Ormaechea – World number 209

Just as she did against Hruncakova, Eala won a tight first set, 7-5.

But rather than feeling the pressure, this time she pushed ahead, securing the win 7-5, 6-2.

A humbling 2-6, 2-6 defeat followed in the second round, but Eala had already proven herself, picking up the first of her 45 tour wins.

The wins didn’t really start to flow for another few years, though, as Eala was made to wait for her breakthrough.

Alexandra Eala’s WTA Tour wins by year

It was in Miami that Eala truly announced herself on the world’s stage, four years after her defeat to Hruncakova.

Defeating three Grand Slam champions, Eala qualified for a maiden WTA 1000 semifinal.

Alexandra Eala at the 2025 Miami Open

• 2025 Miami Open 1R [WIN] vs Katie Volynets, 6-3, 7-6
• 2025 Miami Open 2R [WIN] vs Jelena Ostapenko (2017 French Open champ), 7-6, 7-5
• 2025 Miami Open 3R [WIN] vs Madison Keys (2025 Australian Open champ), 6-4, 6-2
• 2025 Miami Open 4R [WALKOVER] vs Paula Badosa
• 2025 Miami Open QF [WIN] vs Iga Swiatek (Then 5 x Grand Slam champ), 6-2, 7-5

She did, however, fail in her bid to reach the final, losing to Jessica Pegula in three sets, 6-7, 7-5, 3-6.

It’s not long until Eala returns to Miami, looking for more!

Where will Alexandra Eala play next?

After losing her first-round match at the Qatar Open, Eala travelled to the UAE in preparation for the 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships.

Following Naomi Osaka’s withdrawal, Eala was promoted to the main draw, and she now prepares to make her debut at the event.

Serena Williams would finish 2026 ranked — in the world if she came out of retirement

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The Dubai draw should be much stronger than what we saw in Qatar, as the likes of Aryna Sabalenka and Pegula return to the fold.

Top 16 seeds at the 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships

• [1] Aryna Sabalenka
• [2] Iga Swiatek
• [3] Elena Rybakina
• [4] Amanda Anisimova
• [5] Coco Gauff
• [6] Jessica Pegula
• [7] Mirra Andreeva
• [8] Jasmine Paolini
• [9] Elina Svitolina
• [10] Ekaterina Alexandrova
• [11] Belinda Bencic
• [12] Linda Noskova
• [13] Victoria Mboko
• [14] Clara Tauson
• [15] Liudmila Samsonova
• [16] Emma Navarro

Eala would love nothing more than to one day be seeded like those listed above, but how realistic is that goal?

Well, she currently trails Emma Navarro, the 16th seed, by 851 points in the world rankings.

Official WTA Rankings

Eala can begin to close that gap with a deep run in Dubai, but will be more than aware of the work she needs to do in Miami next month.

Having reached the semifinals of the 2025 tournament, she’ll have 390 points to defend.

The 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships begin on Monday, February 16.