MANILA, Philippines – For the third straight year, Alex Eala is bound for the Miami Open.

Eala secured a wildcard berth in the main draw of the WTA 1000 tournament which will be held at the Hard Rock Stadium in Florida from March 19 to April 2.

The 17-year-old eyes a better finish this year after suffering early exits in the past two editions.

Currently ranked No. 220 by the WTA, Eala bowed out in the first round of the qualifying draw in 2021 and got the boot as a wildcard in the opening round of the main draw in 2022.

A formidable cast of foes awaits Eala in Miami spearheaded by defending champion and world No. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland.

The field includes newly crowned Australian Open queen and world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, No. 3 Jessica Pegula of the United States, No. 4 Ons Jabeur of Tunisia, and No. 5 Caroline Garcia of France.

Former US Open champion Emma Raducanu of Great Britain also earned a wildcard spot in the main draw like Eala.

Eala is coming off a second-round exit in the singles division of the W60 Trnava in Slovakia, where she fell prey to Great Britain’s Sonay Kartal last week. – Rappler.com