Mboko, Andreeva set for trilogy as Eala edges out Linette in Miami
MIAMI — Prior to the 2026 season on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz, Victoria Mboko and Mirra Andreeva hadn’t faced each other. Not even three months into the young season, the tour’s two teenage stars will have their trilogy battle in the Round of 16 in Miami.
Both players handled their respective tasks in Saturday’s third round. Mboko picked up a 6-1, 7-5 win over qualifier Anastasia Zakharova, notching the second set’s lone break in the penultimate game to end the game on her serve while Andreeva built momentum off a first-set tiebreak to secure a 7-6 (4), 6-2 victory over Marie Bouzkova.
It’s the newest — and youngest — rivalry in the sport and makes Monday’s fourth-round match highly-anticipated as the they split their two previous meetings. Andreeva won their first meeting to win her fourth WTA singles title at the Adelaide International in January, though Mboko avenged that defeat in a thrilling 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (5) in the third round of Doha, where the Canadian saved a match point and later eventually reached the final of the tournament.
“I guess it’s luck of the draw,” Mboko said. “We actually joke about it a lot when we’re on the same quarter so it’s fun. I’m sure I’m going to be playing her so many more times in the future, so I’m not really taking it that seriously, but I think it’s going to be a great match.”
Interestingly, Mboko and Andreeva are the doubles partners in Miami, joining forces once more after two wins together at Indian Wells. They’ll open doubles play on Sunday before clashing in Monday’s singles fourth round.
“We were talking already a couple of days ago that we again are in the same part of the draw,” Andreeva said Saturday. “We were like ‘Oh my God, how many times?’ We’ve had two great matches already this year so honestly I’m just looking forward to playing her again.”
Eala slated for Muchova showdown in fourth round
Alexandra Eala came in clutch when it mattered most. After a routine first-set win, she would have to withstand Magda Linette in a tiebreak in the second set. However, she handled it with ease, setting herself up with five match points in the tiebreak and winning 6-3, 7-6 (2).
Linette came in off an upset win over Polish compatriot Iga Swiatek, but Eala’s two breaks of serve and 20 winners fueled the third round win. She’ll next face Doha champion Karolina Muchova for the first time for a spot in the quarterfinals.
Eala exploited Linette’s second serve Friday, winning nearly half of the Pole’s second-service points as Linette had only landed 56% of her first serves. She now has won both matchups against Linette this season, and has won 3-of-5 sets that went to a tiebreak in 2026.
More to come…
