Eala secures P6.3M for reaching Miami Open 4th round

ALEX Eala secured a $105,720 prize money or P6.36 million for reaching the WTA 1000 Miami Open fourth round Sunday morning in Manila.

The Filipino netter advanced to the round of 16 after dropping Polish Magda Linette, 6-3, 7-6 (2), in their round of 32 clash at the Hard Rock Stadium Grandstand Court.

“I think patience was a very key aspect of how I played today,” said Eala in the post-match court interview.

“You said it first, Magda is such a fighter and every time I played against her, she’s put me in such difficult positions. So, kudos to her for playing well and I really enjoyed the battle.”

If Eala defeats Czech Karolina Muchova in the fourth round, her payout will be upgraded to $193,645 or P11.65 million.

With the round of 32 win, Eala also moved closer to regaining her 390 points which she earned for her semifinal finish last year as a wildcard.

After advancing to the Miami Open round of 16, Eala claimed 120 ranking points and leaped from 48th to 44th at the WTA live rankings Sunday morning.

Eala raised her total ranking points to 1,255.

The changes won’t reflect in the official rankings until the tournament is over, though, just like in the Indian Wells.

The Miami Open will end on March 29.

Ranked No. 29 in the official rankings, Eala needs two more wins to regain the full 390 points she gained from her semis finish last year.

If she does that, Eala will most likely stay in top 30 but if not, she will drop to the 48th to 52nd range.

Can Eala finally put an end to “the Curse of the Czech Republic”?

That is the question as the Filipino tennis ace faces Muchova on Monday.

Eala is unofficially 0-11 (not confirmed by WTA) against Czech players.

The latest of those losses came from world No. 13 Linda Noskova in their Indian Wells round of 16 clash, 2-6, 0-6, on March 11.

Now, world No. 29 Eala takes on No. 14 Muchova in the fourth round of the Miami Open, where the Filipino is seeded 31st and the Czech is 13th.

Muchova is nine years older than the 20-year-old Eala, sporting two WTA titles and going as high as No. 8 in the rankings.

Muchova defeated British Katie Boulter in their round of 32 encounter, 6-3, 7-5, Sunday morning in Manila.

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