Alexandra Eala is preparing for her first-ever Indian Wells event, and she will remarkably be seeded for the Masters tournament.
Eala receives a first round bye at Indian Wells thanks to her fantastic early season form, which has seen her rise to world number 31 in the WTA Tour rankings.
The Filipina star has impressed in Abu Dhabi, Auckland, and Dubai so far this season, picking up impressive victories against the likes of Jasmine Paolini and Donna Vekic.
Eala has already arrived at Indian Wells and she’s set to practice with one of the most experienced players on Tour.
Alexandra Eala set for practise with Laura Siegemund
Indian Wells has published the first practise sessions of the tournaments, with some of the biggest stars playing alongside each other.
Eala will practise with German star Laura Siegemund on Sunday, 1st March, at 11am until 12pm in California.
What is the best win of Alexandra Eala’s career so far? 🤔
Iga Swiatek in Miami, Clara Tauson at the US Open, Jasmine Paolini in Dubai, or a different match?
Siegemund is one of the elder stateswomen of the WTA Tour, and she is 17 years older than the 20-year-old Filipina.
The German star continues to perform at a high level on the WTA Tour, and she reached the quarter-finals of Wimbledon last year.
Her poise and experience will be invaluable to Eala as she prepares for yet another Masters stage, where she will undoubtedly be one of the most popular players in the draw yet again.
Alexandra Eala’s stunning start to the season in numbers
The Filipina star has already climbed 19 places in the WTA Tour rankings thanks to her impressive start to the season.
Eala has already reached double figures for victories in 2026, with her tenth victory marked by her stunning win against Paolini in Dubai.
What does Alexandra Eala need to improve in 2026 to challenge for a Grand Slam title?
The 20-year-old has lost six times this year, to Coco Gauff, Tereza Valentova, Ekaterina Alexandrova, Camila Osorio, Alycia Parks, and Xinyu Wang.
She holds a 62.5% win rate in the first two months of the year, which is currently just above the percentage she hit in 2025 (60.61%).
Eala has more reasons to be cheerful at Indian Wells, too, as she is not defending any ranking points in California.
That means Eala has already banked a tidy amount of points thanks to her first round bye, so she could continue to climb the rankings no matter the result of her first match.
