Defending the dream: Eala faces tall odds in Miami return

Alex Eala will be returning to the site of the biggest wins in her professional career when she competes in the Miami Open starting Tuesday at the Hard Rock Stadium in Florida.

The 20-year-old Filipina is expected to make a lot of heads turn as she marches to the prestigious Women’s Tennis Association 1000 event with a career-best ranking of No. 29 following a solid performance in the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California last week.

In Indian Wells, Eala was impressive as she beat world No. 4 Coco Gauff to advance to the Last 16 before losing to world No. 13 Linda Noskova of Czech Republic.

In her return to Miami, the Rafael Nadal Academy-educated superstar is tipped to be marked woman, not just because of her previous run where she beat former Grand Slam champions like Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek, but because of her renewed confidence after becoming one of the top 30 best tennis players in the world.

Eala said she couldn’t forget her previous performance in Miami — a finish that sent her to world No. 75 that gave her a free pass to the main draw of various WTA and Grand Slam events.

“Miami last year was a beautiful time for me and it was the start of all of this. Since then, I’ve achieved a lot and I’ve grown a lot as well,” said Eala, giving credit to the confidence she gained since her magical run in Sunshine State.

“I had so many good matches, tough losses and so much experience since then and that has helped me build confidence, self-esteem and I know that I belong here.”

But the battles that await her in Miami will not be easy.

After drawing a bye in the first round, the Filipina will tackle either world No. 53 Laura Siegemund of Germany or No. 72 Petra Marcinko of Croatia in the Round of 64.

If Eala emerges victorious, she will book a mouthwatering rematch with Swiatek, who is itching to beat her anew after gaining revenge in the Round of 64 of the Madrid Open last year, in the Round of 32 before facing either world No. 14 Karolina Muchova or No. 16 Clara Tauson Denmark in the Last 16.

Eala previously defeated Tauson in the first round of the US Open last August for her first main draw victory in any Grand Slam competition.

Again, if Eala overcomes the Round of 16 challenge, she will confront world No. 10 Mirra Andreeva of Russia or No. 9 Victoria Mboko of Canada for a slot in the semifinals and a chance to defend the 390 ranking points that she earned last year.

Eala and Andreeva face each other in an exhibition match in Macau last December while Mboko defeated the Filipina ace in the Last 16 of the Hong Kong Open last October.

But awaiting her in the Last Four could be world No. 6 Amanda Anisimova or Gauff — two prized Americans who are expected to draw a massive crowd to neutralize Eala’s popularity.

A victory in the semifinals will pit Eala against either Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan or defending Miami Open champion Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus.

Miami Open director James Blake said they expect Eala to rock the venue anew so they are leaving no stone unturned to improve the safety and overall fan experience in one of the most-awaited tennis events of season.

“I feel like last year, this event, it was a little bit of a coming out party where she had some great results coming from a wild card position as well. So, I think the international interest in both of them is so high, and Miami being such a cultural melting pot with so much of the international flavor here,” Blake said.