AFTER conquering two highly touted opponents, all eyes will be on Filipino tennis sensation Alex Eala anew she battles another marquee opponent in the 2025 Miami Open in Florida.

Eala will face Spain’s Paola Badosa on Tuesday (Philippine time) with the winner advancing to the quarterfinal round. The match is expected to start at 7 a.m.

On paper, Badosa is highly favored in the match.

The 27-year-old Badosa is currently ranked No. 11 in the world and went up as high as No. 2. The right-handed, 5-foot-11 Badosa has already won four major single titles.

On the other hand, the 19-year-old Eala is ranked 140 in the world with her career-high at 134. The 5-foot-9 Eala has one junior Grand Slam singles title.

Eala reached the Round of 16 after a smashing 6-4. 6-2 win over reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys early Monday (Philippine time), March 24.

Prior to beating the American Keys, who is ranked No. 5 in the world, Eala also defeated world No. 25 Jelena Ostapenko, making her the first Filipino tennis player to beat Top 30 and Top 5 opponents.

“I just keep my head down, keep running and stick with the plan. I hope this takes Philippine tennis to another step,” said Eala in a post-match interview.

Making it to the tournament via wildcard, Eala started his campaign by beating world No. 75 Katie Volynets in the opening round.(CCM)

• Tags
• #Alex Eala
• #2025 Miami Open
• #Florida
• #Paola Badosa
• #Spain
• #Tennis