Listen to the mustn’ts, child. Listen to the don’ts. Listen to the shouldn’ts, the impossibles, the won’ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me . . . Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.
— American writer and cartoonist Shel Silverstein
Her stardom now likened to that of global basketball icon Michael Jordan, Filipina tennis sensation Alexandra “Alex” Eala is set for a potential Round of 32 clash against Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus or defending champion Mirra Andreeva of Russia.
This possibility has been foreseen given the 20-year-old’s accelerated climb into the Top 40, entering the hardcourts of Indian Wells ranked World No. 31 — her first career seeding — complete with an opening-round bye.
The country’s rising star begins her campaign in this year’s WTA 1000 Indian Wells Tennis Championships (also known as the BNP Paribas Open for sponsorship reasons) fresh from a quarterfinal finish at the WTA 1000 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, where she fell to American champion Cori Dionne “Coco” Gauff.
Of course, any potential showdown with Sabalenka, Andreeva, or another Top 8 player will depend on Eala first clearing her Round of 64 assignment. The same applies to the higher seeds, who must also win their opening matches to set up a blockbuster encounter.
The draw will be released tonight, but the structure ensures that the Top 8 seeds are slated to meet the 25th to 32nd seeds, while the 9th to 16th seeds are positioned against players ranked 17th to 24th in the Round of 32. Tournament organizers designed it this way so the Top 1 to 8 and Top 9 to 16 seeds would not collide until the Round of 16.
The Top 32 players earned first-round byes and will face unseeded opponents, wildcards, or qualifiers in the Round of 64.
Should Eala advance, a dream matchup against elite names such as Sabalenka, No. 2 Iga Swiatek, No. 3 Elena Rybakina, No. 4 Gauff, No. 5 Jessica Pegula, No. 6 Amanda Anisimova, No. 7 Jasmine Paolini, and No. 8 Andreeva becomes a strong possibility.
Eala has previously faced Swiatek, Gauff, Pegula, Paolini, and Andreeva.
She stunned Swiatek at the Miami Open quarterfinals last March with a 6-2, 7-5 victory, although the Polish star bounced back with a win at the Madrid Open the following month.
In that same Miami campaign, Pegula ended Eala’s dream run with a 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-3 semifinal victory.
Just two weeks ago in Dubai, Eala upset Paolini 6-1, 7-6(5) in the Round of 32 before bowing to Gauff in the quarterfinals, 0-6, 2-6.
Eala has yet to face Andreeva in an official WTA professional match, though they have crossed paths twice. Eala defeated Andreeva 6-4, 6-0 at the 2022 US Open Girls’ Singles tournament — a title she eventually captured. Andreeva returned the favor at the Macau Masters last December, winning 6-4, 6-2.
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