THE run keeps on rolling for Alex Eala.
The Filipina stayed on track to duplicating her career-changing Miami Open dream run last year, pulling off a 6-3, 7-6 (2) win over Magda Linette to reach the round of 16 of the WTA 1000 event on Sunday morning, Manila time.
READ This is why Alex Eala fell to No. 50 just two days after career-high No. 29
The 20-year old Eala took control of the match early, overcame a mid-match fight from the unseeded Linette then steadied herself in the second-set tiebreak to reach the fourth round of this same tournament where a historic semifinal appearance last year launched her career into orbit.
Up next for the Filipina trailblazer is a first career meeting with world No. 14 Karolína Muchová, with a quarterfinal spot at stake.
The result also guarantees at least 120 ranking points for Eala this week - a big boost as she looks to offset the 390 points from her semifinal run in Miami last year that have now dropped off under the WTA’s 52-week system.
A deeper run will be key to maintaining — or improving on — her current world No. 29 standing.
Eala lost her first two meetings against Lidette but won their last match in Auckland to start her 2026 campaign, and she looked headed to another breezy win when she won three straight games from 3-3 in the opening set.
She carried that momentum into the second, building a 2-0 lead before Linette returned sharper after a medical timeout. The Polish ace worked her way back to force a tiebreak at 6-6, but Eala stayed composed and pulled away late to close the match in 1 hour and 48 minutes.
Before facing Linette, who had eliminated world No. 2 Iga Swiatek in the previous round, Eala opened her campaign with a win over Laura Siegemund. Muchova advanced after defeating Katie Boulter.
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