By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Alex Eala gets the chance to rub elbows with the world’s best and play against some of them when she competes in the prestigious Miami Open on March 22 to April 3 at the Hard Rock Stadium in Florida.
Eala, 16, earned a wildcard berth in the 96-player main draw for her second stint in the WTA1000 tournament.
“I am excited to be playing in the Miami Open!” Eala wrote on her social media Sunday.
Eala first saw action in the $8.3 million event last year where she was granted a wildcard ticket in the qualifiers.
She, however, lost to Slovakian Viktoria Kuzmova in the first round.
Also getting wildcard entries in the main draw this year are four-time Grand Slam champion and former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka, 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin, Astra Sharma, Hailey Baptiste, Linda Fruhvirtova, Ashlyn Kruger and Robin Montgomery.
The tournament boasts of Grand Slam-level talent, including 15 players with a combined 26 career Grand Slam singles titles. Overall, 71 of the top 75 ranked women and 65 of the top 75 ranked men are entered in the event.
Eala is currently training at the Rafa Nadal Tennis Academy where she has been based for the past years.
Her last tournament appearance came in the W25 Joue les Tours in France late February where she finished in the second round of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) women’s circuit event.
