Indian Wells Open: Alex Eala handed tricky draw with possible Coco Gauff rematch
Rising star Alex Eala is set for another first in her young career as she is set for her maiden appearance at the Indian Wells Open, but she has been handed a difficult draw for the WTA 1000 event.
Just over a year ago, Eala was still relatively unknown as she was sitting at No 140 in the WTA Rankings and competed at the ITF’s W75 Trnava, losing in the round of 16.
But she shot to fame a few weeks later when she reached the semi-final of the Miami Open after beating Grand Slam winners Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek following a wildcard entry.
She broke into the top 100 of the rankings and continued her amazing climb as she is currently sitting at No 32 in the rankings and not only earned a direct entry into the Indian Wells Open, but she is also seeded at the California event.
Being among the top 32 seeds comes with a reward as players have a bye in the first round and Eala will get her campaign underway in the second round against either Dayana Yastremska or Zhang Shuai.
Indian Wells Open News
Indian Wells Open withdrawal list: 15 players out as Medvedev, Rublev, Khachanov could follow
Both those players will be tricky with Zhang in good form as she reached the semi-final of the Merida Open last week with her run helping her to jump 24 places in the rankings to No 62, although that is still well below her career-high of No 22.
Yastremska peaked at No 21, but that was back in 2020 and she currently sits at No 52 with a 4-7 win-loss record so far in 2026.
Eala has a 1-0 head-to-head record against the Ukrainian as she defeated Yastremska 6-1, 6-2 in the quarter-finals on the grass at Eastbourne in June 2025 while she is yet to face Zhang.
Should Eala get past Zhang or Yastremska, she could face fourth seed Coco Gauff in the third round with the American taking on either 2019 US Open winner Bianca Andreescu or a wildcard in the second round.
Should Gauff and Eala meet, then it will be a rematch of their Dubai Tennis Championships quarter-final, where the American claimed a comfortable 6-2, 6-0 victory.
Eala was the crowd favourite at that match as the stands were packed with Filipino fans, but Gauff will be on home soil this time, although for now the focus will be getting past either Zhang or Yastremska.
