Alex Eala is ready to bring the heat at the upcoming 2026 Miami Open, but before she unleashes her own brand of firepower on court, she caught up with someone who knows a thing or two about heat in Miami.<\/p>\n
On Monday 16 March, the Filipina tennis<\/a> star made a fitting stop in South Beach, reuniting with Miami Heat basketball<\/a> head coach\u00a0Erik Spoelstra.<\/p>\n The two Filipino sports figures first met in 2023 when Eala was just 17, a moment the Miami Heat revisited in a\u00a0feature video shared on social media<\/a> on Tuesday (17 March).<\/p>\n Now 20, Eala caught up with Spoelstra once again ahead of her Miami Open return, and on the day of his 700th career NBA win, as the two posed for photos together.<\/p>\n \u201cJust two powerhouses repping the Philippines at the highest level,\u201d read the Instagram caption, before the team wished Eala good luck at the upcoming tournament.<\/p>\n Eala enters the 2026 Miami Open following a round of 16 finish at Indian Wells in California, where she fell to\u00a0Czechia’s Linda Noskova<\/a>. The result capped another strong showing for the rising star, who has climbed to a career-high ranking of world No. 29.<\/p>\n She returns to Miami, having enjoyed a breakout run on those courts a year prior. During the 2025 tournament, Eala recorded a stunning victory over\u00a0the now-world No. 3 Iga Swiatek,<\/a> along with wins over\u00a0Madison Keys<\/a> and Jelena Ostapenko.<\/a><\/p>\n Eala received a first-round bye and will begin her campaign on 19 March in the round of 64. She awaits the winner of the opening match between Croatia\u2019s\u00a0Petra Martic<\/a> and Germany\u2019s Laura Siegemund<\/a>, with the possibility of a rematch with Swiatek later in the tournament.<\/p>\n