By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Alex Eala received a wildcard berth in the qualifying round of the prestigious Miami Open slated March 22 to April 4 in Florida.
The Rafa Nadal Academy, where Eala has been a scholar for the past years, made the announcement on social media Tuesday morning where the 15-year-old Filipina sensation had the chance to play against some of the best tennis players in the world.
“Amazing news! 15-year-old RNA player Alex Eala has received a wildcard to play the Miami Open Qualies! Congratulations Alex!” the post read.
The Florida event is the highest tournament that Eala will be playing so far after competing in W15 and W25 International Tennis Federation tournaments since last year.
Although Eala is coming off a first-round exit at the W15 Manacor event in Spain last week, she has already made heads turn when she won her first pro title last January and made it to the quarterfinals of theW25 Grenoble in France last month.
The Miami Open is categorized in the Women’s Tennis Association as WTA1000 and a Premier Mandatory event in the WTA Tour.
The event was cancelled in 2019 due to the pandemic.
Serena Williams won eight titles in the tournament, including her last in 2015, while other previous champions were Ashleigh Barty (2019), Sloane Stephens (2018), Johanna Konta (2017), and Victoria Azarenka (2011, 2016).
