Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images
By Joel Reyes
Alex Eala and Magda Linette will face each other for the fourth time on the WTA Tour on Sunday when they lock horns in the third round of the 2026 Miami Open on Grandstand Court at Hard Rock Stadium.
Linette currently holds a 2-1 advantage against Eala in their head-to-head matchups, but it is the Filipina star who won their most recent meeting in New Zealand earlier this year. Alta Sports looks back at Eala and Linette’s previous showdowns ahead of their crunch round-of-32 clash in Miami.
2024 Abu Dhabi Open
Eala and Linette’s first-ever WTA meeting took place at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Open, with the Polish star recording a 7-6, 6-1 victory in the round of 32. Linette converted 69% of her first serves against Eala and won 66% of her points there.
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Eala, on the other hand, won just 52% of her first-serve points. Linette took full advantage of the Filipina’s weak serve, converting four of her nine break-point opportunities.
2025 Nottingham Open
Linette continued her dominance against Eala in last year’s Nottingham Open, producing a convincing 6-4, 6-3 win in the round of 32 of that grass-court event. The No. 6 seed recorded five aces and won 71% of her first-serve points against the Quezon City native.
Eala’s serve continued to be a problem for the Filipina star in this contest. She converted just 58% of her first serves against Linette and won just 51% of her points there.
2026 ASB Classic
Eala finally recorded her first-ever win against Linette at the 2026 ASB Classic, securing a 6-3, 6-2 victory in Auckland. She pulled away in the first set of that quarterfinal clash, winning three straight games to build a 5-2 lead before taking it 6-3.
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Eala sustained the momentum in the second set, winning the first four games before completing the straight-sets victory in one hour and 37 minutes.