{"id":1808482,"date":"2026-03-05T11:41:54","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T08:41:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1808482"},"modified":"2026-03-05T11:41:54","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T08:41:54","slug":"indian-wells-open-alex-eala-would-love-rematch-with-role-model-coco-gauff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1808482","title":{"rendered":"Indian Wells Open: Alex Eala &#8216;would love&#8217; rematch with &#8216;role model&#8217; Coco Gauff"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"ps-article-content rounded-lg lg:mt-5 lg:border lg:border-card lg:bg-card lg:shadow-primary\">\n<header>\n<h1 class=\"py-4 text-xl font-normal text-title sm:text-2xl\">Indian Wells Open: Alex Eala \u2018would love\u2019 rematch with \u2018role model\u2019 Coco Gauff<\/h1>\n<div class=\"my-2 flex items-center justify-between\">\n<div class=\"flex items-center\">\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/author\/ewan-west\" class=\"text-sm font-normal !text-author\"><br \/>\n                            Ewan West                        <\/a><br \/>\n                        <time class=\"ml-3 text-sm font-normal text-info md:ml-4\" datetime=\"05 Mar 2026 11:41 AM\" data-ps-date=\"05 Mar 2026 11:41 AM\" data-ps-datetime=\"1772710914\"><br \/>\n                            05 Mar 2026 11:41 AM                        <\/time>\n                    <\/div>\n<div class=\"hidden justify-end space-x-4 text-xl sm:flex sm:!opacity-100\">\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-news\/alex-eala-speaks-potential-coco-gauff-rematch-indian-wells\" class=\"!text-info hover:!text-brand\" aria-label=\"Share to facebook\"><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/a><br \/>\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tennis365.com%2Ftennis-news%2Falex-eala-speaks-potential-coco-gauff-rematch-indian-wells\" class=\"!text-info hover:!text-brand\" aria-label=\"Share to twitter\"><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/a><br \/>\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tennis365.com%2Ftennis-news%2Falex-eala-speaks-potential-coco-gauff-rematch-indian-wells\" class=\"!text-info hover:!text-brand\" aria-label=\"Share to linkedin\"><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/a><br \/>\n                        <a class=\"!text-info hover:!text-brand\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/\/send\/?text=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tennis365.com%2Ftennis-news%2Falex-eala-speaks-potential-coco-gauff-rematch-indian-wells\" aria-label=\"Share to whatsapp\"><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/a><br \/>\n                        <a class=\"!text-info hover:!text-brand\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/share.flipboard.com\/bookmarklet\/popout?v=2&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tennis365.com%2Ftennis-news%2Falex-eala-speaks-potential-coco-gauff-rematch-indian-wells\" aria-label=\"Share to flipboard\"><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/a>\n                    <\/div>\n<div class=\"sm:hidden flex items-center space-x-5\">\n                        <a class=\"!text-share-icon hover:!text-share-icon-active flex items-center justify-center\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=tennis365.com\" aria-label=\"Follow Tennis365 on Google Search\"><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/a><br \/>\n                        <button id=\"t365-article-share-btn\" class=\"mr-2 hidden h-6 w-6 appearance-none border-none !text-share-icon outline-none hover:!text-share-icon-active sm:hidden\" data-title=\"Indian Wells Open: Alex Eala \u2018would love\u2019 rematch with \u2018role model\u2019 Coco Gauff\"><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/button>\n                    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"-mx-3 sm:-mx-5 border-b border-page\"><\/div>\n<section>\n<div class=\"-mx-3 sm:-mx-5\">\n<figure class=\"aspect-h-9 aspect-w-16 relative\">\n                                        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1320\" height=\"742\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"w-full h-full object-cover object-center !my-0\" src=\"https:\/\/d2me2qg8dfiw8u.cloudfront.net\/content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Eala-with-inset-of-Coco-Gauff-1320x742.jpg\" alt=\"Pictured: Alex Eala with Coco Gauff inset\">                <\/figure><figcaption class=\"flex items-center space-x-3 border-b border-mobile-caption px-3 lg:border-caption\">\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"my-1.5 break-words !text-xs !text-content\">\n                                Alex Eala with inset of Coco Gauff                            <\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<div class=\"ciam-article-t365\">\n<p>Alex Eala has reflected on her start to the 2026 campaign and shared her thoughts on the prospect of a rematch with Coco Gauff in Indian Wells.<\/p>\n<p>The 20-year-old star has played six tournaments so far this year, including her home WTA Challenger\/125 event in Manila, and she has amassed a 10-6 record.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tag\/alex-eala\">Eala<\/a>, who is the world No 32, is making her debut in Indian Wells having been ranked 140th a year ago when the 2025 edition of the WTA 1000 event took place.<\/p>\n<p>The Filipina achieved her breakthrough result at the 2025 Miami Open, which is the second leg of the US \u2018Sunshine Double\u2019 in March following Indian Wells.<\/p>\n<p>Competing in Miami as a wildcard, Eala made a stunning run to the semi-finals, upsetting Iga Swiatek and Madison Keys. This saw Eala\u2019s ranking soar to 75th, which made her the first player in her country\u2019s history to break into the top 100.<\/p>\n<p>Eala has received massive support from her compatriots at all of her events this year, and she described it as a dream to be playing in Indian Wells.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo be living my dreams and playing in Indian Wells with a lot of people supporting me is something I\u2019ve dreamed of since I was young,\u201d Eala was quoted as saying by <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.abs-cbn.com\/sports\/othersports\/2026\/3\/4\/tennis-eala-effect-seen-at-indian-wells-as-fans-show-up-to-watch-alex-in-practice-1531\" target=\"_blank\">ABS-CBN<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>WTA Tour News<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-news\/alex-eala-game-praised-roger-federer-former-coach-indian-wells\"><strong>Roger Federer\u2019s former coach reveals what he likes about Alex Eala and her game<\/strong> <\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/wta-tour\/alex-ealas-taylor-swift-comparison-popularity\"><strong>Alex Eala\u2019s enormous popularity compared to Taylor Swift by leading voice<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Want more from Tennis365? Add us as <a rel=\"noopener nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=tennis365.com\" target=\"_blank\">a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for tennis coverage you can trust.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>On her 2026 season so far, Eala said:\u00a0\u201cI think I have a lot of positives to take away.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe atmosphere in each tournament has been amazing and it\u2019s been a different start this year than any other year I\u2019ve ever had. So I\u2019m very happy with it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot just on the court, but as a person in general, I\u2019ve matured a lot. I\u2019ve gained a lot of experience at a much higher level than I used to compete. I\u2019d like to say I\u2019m a better version of myself now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Eala\u2019s impressive run at the Dubai Championships last month ended with a 0-6, 2-6 loss to world No 4 Gauff, and she is projected to meet the American star again in the third round in Indian Wells.<\/p>\n<p>The 31st seed expressed her wish to face the two-time Grand Slam champion in California.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI would love to play her (Gauff) again,\u201d Eala said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think she\u2019s an incredible athlete and an incredible person and she\u2019s a role model for a reason. Our last match was great.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think she played amazing and I always learn a lot when I share the court with her, whether it\u2019s practice or a match.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf we were ever to meet again, I would love to take those learnings and try to employ them on the court.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>What did Eala say after losing to Gauff in Dubai?<\/h2>\n<p>Following her one-sided defeat to Gauff in the Middle East, Eala said: \u201cObviously, I think the gap between us was pretty prominent.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s not to say that I\u2019m so far out of reach from these players. I think this match was\u2026 I mean, the score says a lot, but I think I\u2019m not so disappointed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI keep my head up. I feel good about the whole week, and how I\u2019ve been doing. So, the biggest takeaway for me, honestly, is that I\u2019m on the right path.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>READ NEXT: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-news\/alex-eala-told-where-she-can-improve-martina-navratilova-offers-advice\">Alex Eala told \u2018where she can improve\u2019 as Martina Navratilova offers advice<\/a><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Indian Wells Open: Alex Eala \u2018would love\u2019 rematch with \u2018role model\u2019 Coco Gauff Ewan West 05 Mar 2026 11:41 AM Alex Eala with inset of Coco Gauff Alex Eala has reflected on her start to the 2026 campaign and shared her thoughts on the prospect of a rematch with Coco Gauff in Indian Wells. The [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,249],"class_list":["post-1808482","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-tennis365-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1808482","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1808482"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1808482\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1808482"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1808482"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1808482"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}