Metro Manila, Philippines – Filipino tennis ace Alex Eala will march into the Round of 16 of the Dubai Tennis Championships after upsetting world number 8 Jasmine Paolini, 6-1, 7-6(5).
Eala opened the match with dominant serving, landing 67% of her first serves and winning 86% of those points.
In the second set, Eala led 3-1, but Paolini fought back to tie it at 3-3, capitalizing on Eala’s successive errors.
With Eala on the brink of victory at 5-3, Paolini saved three match points to extend the match.
Paolini then forced a tie-break and evened it at 5-5, but it was not enough to close out the match.
In her on-court interview after her victory, Eala said she kept her emotions in check during the tiebreak.
“All the emotions are coming because the tension was so high, especially during that second set, so I’m really happy to have gotten through,” Eala said.
“At the change of ends, I was thinking, you know, this stadium is full of Filipinos. Tapos sabi ko ’ilan kaya sa inyo yung nagdadasal para sa akin?’ So I really had to give everything I’ve got,” she added, noting the massive turnout of Filipino supporters during her match.
With the win, Eala became the first Filipino player to reach the Round of 16 at multiple Tier I or WTA 1000 events since the tier format was introduced in 1990.
Eala is set for a rematch in the Round of 16, where she will aim to bounce back against Romania’s Sorana Cirstea who beat her in the 2024 Madrid Open.
