Alex Eala has become a household name in tennis since her inspiring 2025 Miami Open run which included defeating three Grand Slam champions: Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys, and Iga Swiatek.

The 20-year-old Filpina superstar and graduate of the Rafael Nadal Academy has stormed into the WTA Top 50 and has quickly packed stadiums around the world with enthusiastic fans from the Phillipines.

In addition to her singles prowess, she is an accomplished doubles player, earning two Grand Slam juniors titles in 2020 and 2021 at the Australian and French Open respectively.

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That’s why it is somewhat surprising that she is not on the Indian Wells doubles entry list. Perhaps she is focusing on singles, but there are many Filipino fans who were hoping to see her play both singles and doubles.

Alex Eala has played doubles with WTA superstars

Eala lost to Coco Gauff in the Dubai quarterfinals; however, the two played doubles at last year’s Italian Open. They lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champions Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini.

Alex Eala has also played doubles with rising stars Janice Tjen, Canadian Open champion Victoria Mboko, and Guadalajara champion Iva Jovic.

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What to expect from Eala’s main draw Indian Wells debut

Alex Eala should be brimming with confidence after a successful Dubai run where she defeated World No. 8 Jasmine Paolini in straight sets.

The lingering question will be if Nike does anything special for her to commemorate her Indian Wells debut. Nike sent her a custom white hair tie containing a sampaguita, the national flower of the Philippines, for her Wimbledon debut. Tshirts containing the Nike logo and the sampaguita are routinely sold out in the Philippines. Eala modeled one of the shirts in a recent Vogue Phillippines photo shoot.

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Venus Williams, 45, accepted a wildcard to play singles and doubles at Indian Wells. She is excited to play in the first leg of the 2026 Sunshine Double, consisting of Indian Wells and the Miami Open.

Indian Wells, also known as the BNP Paribas Open, begins on March 1, 2026. This is the most widely attended tournament outside of the Grand Slams and the year-end finals. Its stadium court holds 16,000 fans making it the second largest tennis court in the world behind the US Open’s Arthur Ashe Stadium.

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Williams is enjoying a career renaissance after a successful runs last summer in the US Open hardcourt series and at the US Open where she played all three disciplines: singles, doubles, and mixed doubles.

At Indian Wells, she will reunite with her US Open doubles partner Leylah Fernandez.

Venus Williams was not always a fixture at Indian Wells

Despite being California natives, Venus and Serena Williams were not fixtures at the annual WTA 1000 tournament.

The Williams sisters boycotted Indian Wells after a 2001 bitter experience. Venus Williams withdrew from her 2001 semifinal match against Serena, citing a knee injury.

Venus Williams and her father Richard were in the stands to watch Serena defeat Kim Clijsters in the final. All were heckled and hit with racial slurs.

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Both sisters eventually put the troubling experience behind them and returned: Serena in 2015 and Venus in 2016. Venus last played Indian Wells in 2023.

Will Venus share news about a potential Serena comeback?

Venus Williams will be barraged with questions about a potential Serena Williams comeback that has been teased for months.

It started when Serena’s name reappeared on the players list subjected to anti-doping testing. Serena has publicly denied she is coming back.

However, her social media posts indicate otherwise. She recently posted video of herself practicing serves for the first time since 2023. Many believe the comeback is imminent with a reunion with Venus in doubles. They were virtually unbeatable in doubles at their peak, winning 14 Grand Slams doubles titles from 1999 to 2016.

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