Are fan favorites Alex Eala and Joao Fonseca in early danger at the Miami Open?

Before each day's play at the Miami Open, we'll preview three must-stream matches, on the Tennis Channel app.

Laura Siegemund vs. Alex Eala

An all-around contrast to start the day in the main stadium. Siegemund is a 38-year-old German, Eala a 20-year-old from the Philippines. While Siegemund has many more matches and wins under her belt, it’s Eala who has the higher ranking—29 to 53. The trouble for Eala is that a whole bunch of her ranking points came at this tournament in 2025, when she stunned the tennis world by beating Iga Swiatek to make the semifinals.

Which means this could be a nervy afternoon for her. Not only will she be defending her ranking, she’ll be doing it against an opponent who will test her patience to the breaking point. Between points, Siegemund plays with maximum deliberation. During them, she plays with maximum variation. She loves to chop her forehand, drive her backhand, and throw in every spin and angle in between.

Which makes this a contrast in styles, too. Where Siegemund uses any trick available, Eala sticks to one: Drive the ball hard and flat and into the corners whenever possible—and sometimes when it’s impossible.

Eala’s ups and downs will likely determine the result. How will she handle the Siegemund experience? That’s what we’ll tune in to see. Winner: Siegemund

Joao Fonseca vs. Fabian Marozsan

The Miami schedulers know to put Fonseca, and the Brazilian army that will be following him, in the big stadium. Last year, they packed the house to see him win two matches.

The big news from this year’s men’s draw is that Fonseca may get his first chance to match forehands with top seed Carlos Alcaraz. Before we think about that, though, there’s the possibly difficult business of getting past Marozsan. The two are comparably ranked—Fonseca 39th, Marozsan 46th—and the Hungarian won their only previous meeting, last spring on clay in Rome, in a competitive two-setter.

Marozsan is 6-7 this season, and is coming off first-round losses in Dubai and Indian Wells. Fonseca is 4-4, but he got three of those wins in a resurgent run in Indian Wells, before falling in two intense tiebreak sets to Jannik Sinner.

Fonseca lives and dies with his forehand, which is one of the most explosive in tennis. But Marozsan, at 6’4", 165, is a long and lanky gunslinger himself. The occasion, the crowd, his recent success, and the chance to play Alcaraz would seemingly be enough to put him over the top. Winner: Fonseca

Mirra Andreeva vs. McCartney Kessler

This is another case where one player is ranked higher, while the other leads the head-to-head. Andreeva is 10th, and Kessler 51st, but it was the American who won their only meeting, last summer on hard courts in Montreal.

That was a peak moment for Kessler, who topped out at No. 30 last year. In 2026, she and Andreeva have both lost ground. Kessler is 7-6 for the season, and down 20 ranking spots since January 1. Andreeva’s 12-5 record sounds solid, but it pales compared to the way she broke out of the gates, and into the Top 5, in 2025.

These two will play the late match in the stadium on Thursday. Kessler has already won a three-set match in Miami. The last time we saw Andreeva, she was chucking her racquet in rage during her defeat in Indian Wells.

Can the Russian put that behind her and keep her calm? Can either, or both of them, find some of their 2025 form? Kessler is a flatter hitter who can rush Andreeva; but Andreeva is a good defender with a higher talent ceiling. Winner: Andreeva