"I think she can beef up a little and punch up that serve" - Navratilova explains how Alexandra Eala can take her game to the next level

The Sunshine double always creates positive storylines with players going deep in the tournaments reaping the huge rewards and rocketing themselves up the rankings into the mainstream. A lot of young talents will see this as a huge opportunity, with three teenage sensations looking to bolster their positions in the order.

Victoria Mboko, Iva Jovic and Alexandra Eala are three of the brightest players on the WTA Tour. Their rise has been meteoric and a rapid one despite their young age with all three having their respected fortunes on court.

So far Mboko has stormed ahead of her rivals, recently debuting in the top 10 after reaching a second WTA 1000 final at the Qatar Open. She made a name for herself after defeating Naomi Osaka in the final of the Canadian Open to win the tournament. She could not repeat the goods in Doha as Karolina Muchova pipped her in the final but that was just another example of her brilliance on court.

18-time Grand Slam champion Martina Navratilova was in awe of the Canadian and her incredible rise. "Her rise has been very meteoric, just crazy," she told the WTA. "She’s a great athlete and she doesn’t have many weaknesses. Solid on both wings, moves well."

She did have concerns over injury but they were waved off after she just kept on winning tennis matches. "Her biggest thing was being injured. She was strapped up like crazy at the Australian Open, in Doha, I thought she was going to default - and she kept winning," she commented. "She’s a competitor. I think she embraces the challenge. And technically solid, there’s nothing to break down in her game. Good shot selection. She’s got choices. Her tennis IQ is working well -- and she’s just getting started."

Jovic has been one of the standout players in 2026. The 18-year-old won her first WTA title at the Guadalajara Open at the end of 2025 and has continued this rampant form as her rise up the rankings continue.

One of the big stories in 2026, the American reached a first Grand Slam quarterfinal in Melbourne enroute to debuting in the top 20, currently sitting in 16th ahead of Indian Wells, with more ground to be made up.

"Yeah, she’s had some great results already this year," Navratilova said. "Very solid, really good head on her shoulders. She seems very put together, an Emma Navarro type player. Doesn’t panic. And also embraces the competition - I love that."

She would follow this up by talking about Eala, who made a name for herself in the Miami Open last year. She defeated the likes of Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek enroute to the semi-final stage before Jessica Pegula managed to take her down in three sets.

She will be defending these points very soon and will be hoping to recoup as many of them as possible. The Filipina will have a huge fan contingent following and supporting her every move with the hope that she can continue her incredible rise.

"She’s crafty," Navratilova laughed. "She’s a good lefty. She uses her variety nicely." She then discussed how she could get to that next level. "I think where she can improve the most is her serve, or make it pay off more. She needs a bigger serve and bigger kick. She’s got the slice down pat. Just believe and hold her ground. She is slight of build so it’s harder for her to absorb all that pace. But I think she can beef up a little and punch up that serve."

The Indian Wells Open will take place from March 4-15 with the Miami Open following straight after. The best players in the world will be competing for the title, but many eyes will be firmly planted on the progress of these three talents.