By ADRIAN STEWART CO

Negrense tennis star Alexandra Eala progressed to the third round of the WTA Miami Open after outlasting Germany’s Laura Siegemund in a three-set battle at the Hard Rock Stadium on Thursday, March 19.

Eala, seeded 31st in the tournament, recovered from a tough opening-set loss to prevail, 6-7 (6), 6-3, 6-1, in a match that stretched over three hours.

The 20-year-old struggled early against the veteran German, who disrupted the tempo with a variety of tactics.

Eala let slip a 3-0 advantage and multiple set points in the first frame, eventually conceding the set in a lengthy tiebreak.

Regrouping in the second set, Eala found her rhythm and took control by breaking serve early to build a cushion.

A brief on-court dispute further fueled the Filipina, who maintained her composure to even the match.

Eala carried that momentum into the deciding set, quickly establishing control and dictating play.

Despite a brief response from Siegemund, the Filipina reasserted dominance and closed out the match convincingly.

“It definitely was close. Very demanding physically and mentally, but that was one of my goals last year after this tournament, to improve physically, and here I am, fresh as a flower,” the Negros Occidental’s Victorias City native said.

With the win, Eala moves on to the third round, where she will face Polish netter Magda Linette, who stunned No. 2 ranked Iga Swiatek, 1-6, 7-5, 6-3.

“It means the world to me, and it says a lot of my progress and how I’ve developed as a player and as a person,” said Eala, recalling her success in the same tournament last year.

“I came to Miami last year as a wild card. Now I’m in the third round again. So I’m really, really happy, especially having been able to compete at this level today against an amazing fighter,” she added./ASC, WDJ