Alex Eala beats Magda Linette to enter Miami Open Round of 16

Dubai: Alex Eala defeated Magda Linette to enter the Round of 16 at Miami Open on Saturday night.

The Filipino star put on a fine performance as she beat the Polish tennis player Linette in straight sets 6-3, 7-6(2) to win the Round of 32 match.

Th 20-year-old is now level in her head-to-head record against world No. 50 Linette at 2-2.

“I think I matured a lot in the past year. I’ve been put in a lot of high-pressure moments, a lot of big stages, which I’m so grateful for and wouldn’t trade for the world, but being back in the fourth round makes me feel the same as I did last year,” she said after her win.

Seeded 31st in the tournament, Eala faces world No. 14 and 13th seed Karolina Muchova of Czech Republic in the fourth round.

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

Earlier, The Filipino tennis ace survived German Laura Siegemund, 6(6)-7, 6-3, 6-3, on Friday morning, for her first win in the tournament, where she made history with a semi-final breakthrough as a qualifier.