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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Who is Laura Siegemund? Alex Eala faces Grand Slam doubles champion at Miami Open

Who is Laura Siegemund? Alex Eala faces Grand Slam doubles champion at Miami Open

Published Mar 18, 2026 10:29 am  |  Updated Mar 18, 2026 01:48 pm

At A Glance

  • Match is set on Thursday, March 19 (Philippine time) with the Filipina tennis ace seeking a strong start in this WTA1000 event against the German veteran, who downed Petra Marcinko, 6-4, 6-4, in the Round of 128.
Alex Eala hopes
Alex Eala hopes
Alex Eala braces for a stern test as she looks not only to surpass last year’s breakthrough run but also regain vital ranking points when she takes on multiple Grand Slam doubles champion Laura Siegemund in the Round of 64 at the Miami Open.
Match is set on Thursday, March 19 (Philippine time) with the Filipina tennis ace seeking a strong start in this WTA1000 event against the German veteran, who downed Petra Marcinko, 6-4, 6-4, in the Round of 128.
The 20-year-old Eala entered the week with a career-high No. 29, but plummeted to No. 50 in the WTA live and unofficial rankings as of Wednesday, March 18, following the expiration of points she earned during last year’s run.
Under the WTA’s 52-week ranking system, players drop the points they earned from the same event the previous year once the tournament gets underway again.
In Eala’s case, she has already shed roughly 380 of the 390 points she gained from last year’s semifinal run, where she stunned one Grand Slam champion over another in Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek.
Still, live rankings remain unofficial and fluctuate as the tournament progresses, only becoming official at the end of the event or with the weekly update every Monday.
But the rankings are the least of Eala's worries.
Against Siegemund, Eala is facing a 38-year-old standout boasting of experiences in the WTA Tour and the Olympics. Though the German has never won a Grand Slam singles title, she is a quarterfinalist in the 2020 French Open and 2025 Wimbledon Open.
However, she boasts an impressive doubles resume, capturing the 2020 US Open women’s doubles title, the mixed doubles crowns at the 2024 French Open and 2016 Wimbledon, and the 2023 WTA Finals women’s doubles with different partners.
She is also a quarterfinalist in singles at the 2016 Rio Olympics and mixed doubles at the 2020 Tokyo Games, underscoring her versatility on the biggest stages.
Banking on a first-round bye, Eala hopes it gave her enough time to rest, fine-tune her game and prepare for the tough challenge ahead.
She is coming off an impressive Round of 16 finish in Indian Wells last week, catapulting her rise from the official rankings.
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