Home favorite Coco Gauff faces a possibly tricky challenge against the rising Alexandra Eala in the third round of the 2026 BNP Paribas Open. It has been a relatively slow start to 2026 for Gauff by her high standards, and she will be eager to lay down a marker at Indian Wells. But Eala will also be eager to make her mark, a year on from her breakthrough on the WTA Tour.
Coco Gauff vs Alexandra Eala Match Details
Date: March 8, 2026
Tournament: BNP Paribas Open 2026
Round: Third round (Round of 32)
Venue: Indian Wells Tennis Garden, California, USA
Surface: Outdoor hard
Category: WTA 1000
Live Telecast: Tennis Channel, Sky Sports, TSN, TVA
Gauff vs Eala Head-to-Head
This will be the second meeting between these two players on the WTA Tour. Gauff leads the head-to-head, having beaten Eala 6-0, 6-2 in Dubai last month.
The American’s serve has left a lot to be desired this year, with her 113 double faults putting her on top of the WTA Tour charts. Despite that, she holds an 11-4 record for the year, with two of those defeats coming against Elina Svitolina.
Gauff reached the Australian Open semifinals in Dubai, losing to the Ukrainian on both occasions. But she was also sent packing in the second round in Doha by Elisabetta Cocciaretto, and Eala will have her sights set on pulling off a similar upset on Sunday.
Eala’s lack of experience has certainly shown this season, even if she has delivered some sublime performances. Still only 20, the Filipina certainly has a very bright future ahead of her and will look to add consistency to her game in the coming months and years.
After a run to the semifinals at the ASB Classic, Eala lost her Australian Open first-round match against Alycia Parks despite taking the first set 6-0. She then made the quarterfinals in the Philippines and Abu Dhabi, before losing in the first round in Doha. Another run to the quarterfinals followed in Dubai, where Eala was beaten by Gauff.
Gauff vs Eala Prediction
Eala has had the crowd’s support at every tournament she has competed in so far this year. But Gauff will be the home favorite at Indian Wells and will fancy her chances of getting the win if she can avoid the lapses in her serve.
Amid her struggles with double faults, Gauff has still won 69% of her points on her first serve, and holds a service games win percentage rate of almost 67% this year. Her return numbers are also strong, with a return games win percentage of almost 45%.
Eala is not the strongest server either, but remains a threat with her dominant forehand and ability to take control of points early.
The PFSN Simulator is giving Gauff an 82% chance of victory, but Eala will no doubt be eager to pull off an upset. We are backing the Americans’ experience to lead her to victory in this one.
Pick – Gauff to win in straight sets.
