Czech star Karolina Muchova came out victorious in her Round of 16 match against Alex Eala at the Miami Open on Tuesday, dismantling the Filipina, 6-0, 6-2. The world No. 14 was so dominant that, at one point, she won ten consecutive games—the six games she won consecutively in Set 1 and the first four games of Set 2.
Some Nerves for Muchova Despite Dominating Eala
While Muchova was thoroughly dominant, it doesn’t mean she didn’t feel some nerves going up against the budding star from Quezon City. That much the Czech star admitted in the postmatch on-court interview, where she acknowledged feeling “cautious” and “a little bit nervous” playing against the Filipina.
“It felt pretty good. I mean, you get nervous here and there when it’s going, I don’t wanna say ‘easy,’ but when the score is in your favor, it’s like you have to be cautious,” Muchova said. “It felt a little bit nervous, but I’m obviously super happy to be here in the quarters. It’s super incredible.”
With the win, Muchova sealed a quarterfinal match against Victoria Mboko, who defeated Mirra Andreeva in their own Round of 16 match, 7-6(4), 6-4, 6-0.
Czech Curse Continues for Eala
Eala, on the other hand, suffered her 13th loss against Czech players. Since 2020, the Rafa Nadal Academy alum has lost to Anastasia Zarycka, Gabriel Knutson, Brenda Fruhvirtova, Tereza Martincova, Marie Bouzkova, Katerina Siniakova, Linda Fruhvirtova, Barbora Krejcikova, Marketa Vondrousova, Ekaterina Alexandrova, Tereza Valentova, Linda Noskova, and now Muchova.
Eala will now focus on the WTA 500 Linz Open in Austria, her first clay-court tournament of the 2026 season.
