Miami Open: Alex Eala and Joao Fonseca set for ‘centre court’ treatment as tournament chief speaks out
Miami Open tournament director James Blake has strongly suggested that rising stars Joao Fonseca and Alex Eala will play on centre court during this year’s edition of the prestigious event.
Fonseca and Eala are both set to compete at the combined ATP-WTA 1000 tournament for the second time in 2026, having made their event debuts back in 2025.
Brazilian ace Fonseca memorably reached the third round of the men’s singles event, beating fellow rising star Learner Tien and 19th seed Ugo Humbert before pushing tenth seed Alex de Minaur in a three-set loss.
Meanwhile, Eala made history with a staggering run to the last four of the women’s singles event, memorably beating Grand Slam champions Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys, and Iga Swiatek — becoming the first Filipina to break into the top 100 of the WTA Rankings as a result.
Teen star Fonseca and 20-year-old Eala have quickly become two of the most-followed players within the sport, attracting huge attention everywhere they play.
However, they received particularly strong support in Miami twelve months ago, with both Brazilian and Filipino fans out in force to support the rising stars in Florida.
Fonseca is unseeded in the men’s singles draw and will start his campaign in round one on Wednesday or Thursday, while Eala is the 31st seed in the women’s singles draw and will play on Thursday or Friday after a round-one bye.
Despite not being among the top seeds at the 1000-level event, the duo are set to be among the biggest draws at the high-profile tournament.
Tennis News
Aryna Sabalenka discusses rivalry with ‘nice’ Elena Rybakina after Indian Wells classic
Everything Jannik Sinner said after Indian Wells title win as he sends message to Daniil Medvedev
Former ATP world No 4 Blake is the man in charge of the Miami Open, and he was asked on Tennis Channel this weekend if both Fonseca and Eala would appear on the tournament’s main stadium court.
He replied: “Yes, harking back last year when I learned my lesson of Fonseca needs to be on stadium, and he will be, yes.
“And Eala, it’s been quite a thrill ride for her this last year as well. I feel like last year, this event, it was a little bit of a coming-out party where she had some great results coming from a wild card position as well.
“So I think the international interest in both of them is so high, and Miami being such a cultural melting pot with so much of the international flavour here.
“I think we’re going to need them to be on centre court because they have so many fans worldwide, and here it’s going to feel like home matches for both of them.”
Eala is under particular pressure heading into the Miami Open this year, with the Filipina defending 390 ranking points after her run to the semi-final last March.
The 20-year-old cracked the top 80 as a result of her exploits twelve months ago and has done well to build on that, with Eala reaching a career-high of 29th in the WTA Rankings this week.
However, she could still be at risk of dropping outside the top 50 with an early exit this year — and she could face a rematch against second seed Swiatek in the third round.
Meanwhile, Fonseca is defending 50 points for reaching round three last year, though he will arrive with confidence after a strong campaign at Indian Wells.
The Brazilian had struggled somewhat in the early stages of the 2026 season but defeated two seeds — 16th seed Karen Khachanov and 23rd seed Tommy Paul — on his way to the fourth round, where he impressed against eventual champion Jannik Sinner.
Want more from Tennis365? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for tennis coverage you can trust.
Read Next: ATP Miami Open: How many points will Alcaraz, Sinner, Djokovic, Fritz, Mensik drop?
