MIAMI, Florida — Rallying past Grand Slam doubles champion Laura Siegemund of Germany, 6-7 (8), 6-3, 6-3, following an opening-round bye in the Miami Open, Filipina tennis star Alexandra 'Alex' Eala is set for a familiar showdown in the third round of the Miami Open against Polish standout Magda Linette.

In a shock victory just hours after Eala battled through her own Round-of-64 test,
Linette pulled off a stunning upset of compatriot and five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek, 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, on Friday, March 20 (Philippine time).

The matchup marks Eala's fourth meeting with Linette, a seasoned Grand Slam campaigner who reached the semifinals of the 2023 Australian Open and eight finals on the WTA Tour as well.

winning three titles.
Despite being ranked 21 spots below Eala in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) world rankings at No. 50, the 34-year-old Pole holds the edge in their head-to-head, winning two of their three meetings against the world's No. 29 Filipina ace.

The two first squared off in Abu Dhabi in 2024, where Linette won, 7-6(4), 6-1, and then gained a repeat, 6-4, 6-3, in their next meeting at the Nottingham Open the following year. However, in their third matchup, 6-3, 6-2, in the quarterfinals of the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand last January.

Unlike Eala, who secured an opening-round bye, Linette had to dig deep and first survived Varvara Gracheva, 2-6, 6-2, 6-0, before shocking Swiatek.
In an interview, Eala