Photos by Robert Prange and Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images
By Joel Reyes
Alex Eala will finally make her Indian Wells debut on Saturday morning (PH time) when she takes on Dayana Yastremska in the second round of the 2026 BNP Paribas Open.
Eala received a bye in the first round after she rose to No. 31 in the WTA rankings following her successful campaign in the Middle East Swing. This is the first time that Eala got seeded in a tournament.
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The Quezon City native will next face Yastremska, who is ranked No. 52 in the world. The Ukrainian tennis star booked her place in the round of 64 after she defeated China’s Zhang Shuai 6-3, 6-2 in the first round last Thursday.
This will be the second meeting between Eala and Yastremska on the WTA Tour. They last faced each other in the 2025 Eastbourne Open, with Eala recording a convincing 6-1, 6-2 win in the quarterfinals of the grass court event.
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Eala made history in that tournament, becoming the first Filipina WTA finalist. She fell short in her bid to win the title, though, losing a heartbreaker to Maya Joint in three tough sets in the finals.