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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider 'Uy, Pilipins': Eala reunites with Fil-Am coach Erik Spoelstra ahead of Miami Open quest

'Uy, Pilipins': Eala reunites with Fil-Am coach Erik Spoelstra ahead of Miami Open quest

Published Mar 18, 2026 09:05 am

At A Glance

  • Nearly three years after their first meeting, Filipina tennis ace Alex Eala reunited with Fil-American Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra as she ramps up her campaign for the 2026 Miami Open in Florida.
Alex Eala, left, and Fil-American coach Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat (Screengrab from Miami Heat's FB post)
Alex Eala, left, and Fil-American coach Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat (Screengrab from Miami Heat's FB post)
Nearly three years after their first meeting, Filipina tennis ace Alex Eala reunited with Fil-American Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra as she ramps up her campaign for the 2026 Miami Open in Florida.
Eala, 20, made the most of a brief respite, returning to the Kaseya Center whe she caught up with Spoelstra -- the champion coach who steered the Heat to back-to-back NBA titles in 2012 and 2013 alongside LeBron James.
It was a special moment for the two Filipinos -- especially for Eala, who recently surged to a career-best No. 29 in the WTA rankings. Back then, she was just 17 and outside the Top 150 when she first met Spoelstra along with Heat standout Bam Adebayo.
During that initial encounter, Eala also posed for a photo with Adebayo as Spoelstra notched his 700th career coaching win, following Miami’s 127–120 victory over the New York Knicks.
“Representing the Philippines at the highest level,” Miami Heat wrote on its social media post.
Eala received a first-round bye at the Miami Open where she is set to meet Laura Siegemund, a 6-4, 6-4 winner over Petra Marcinko in the Round of 64.

Related Tags

Alex Eala Miami Open Erik Spoelstra Miami Heat
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