Philippines’ top tennis player Alex Eala has been given a wildcard in this year’s Miami Open slated on March 16 to 30 in Florida.
The 19-year-old Eala, ranked No. 140 in the world, was among the four rising teens that have been awarded wildcard berths in this WTA1000 event. The other three were Canada’s Victoria Mboko, 18; United States’ Tyra Grant, 16; and Japan’s Sayaka Ishii, 19.
Grand Slam champions Petra Kvitova and Sloan Stephens banner the seven wildcard entries that also include Australian Ajla Tomljanovic.
Kvitova, a two-time Wimbledon winner, returned from an 18-month maternity leave last week after giving birth to son Petr last July. Stephens, for her part, is a former Miami champion seeking to end an eight-month slump at this year’s Sunshine Double.
The Top 14 players in the world led by No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and No. 2 Iga Swiatek banner the acceptance list in the women’s side as of March 4. It also has Fil-Canadian Leylah Fernandez.
Last year, Eala also competed in the Miami Open, but lost in the second qualifying round to Colombia’s Emiliana Arango, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1.
Eala is currently competing in the W75 Trnava in Slovakia where she is seeded third. She won the opening round over Spaniard Leyre Romero Gormaz, 6-4, 6-2, to arrange a second-round match with the winner between qualifiers Valentina Ryser of Switzerland and Anna Rogers of the United States.
She has yet to win a title this year, but went as far as the semifinals in the Canberra 125 last January. (K. Satumbaga-Villar/ mb.com.ph)
