Alex Eala advances to last eight of Dubai Tennis Championships

ANOTHER higher-ranked opponent, another sweep.

Relentless Alexandra “Alex” Eala rolled into the last 8 of the WTA 1000 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, hacking out a gutsy 7-5, 6-4 win over world No. 32 Sorana Cirstea of Romania before another full capacity crowd on Thursday at the Aviation Club Tennis Centre Stadium in the United Arab Emirates.

On the heels of a mammoth triumph over world No. 8 Jasmine Paolini of Italy, the WTA No. 47 Ms. Eala rode on the momentum against the 35-year-old Romanian after overturning a 4-5 deficit in extended opener and breaking away in the second for the win in 98 minutes.

The 20-year-old Filipina Ms. Eala, who also defeated No. 39 Hailey Baptiste in Round 1 (6-4, 0-1) after the latter’s retirement due to abdominal pain, faces her good friend, former doubles partner and world No. 4 Coco Gauff of the United States next at press time for a seat in the final four.

The 15-year, 46-day age gap between Mses. Eala and Cirstea was the biggest between two opponents from the Round of 16 onward in Dubai since its foundation in 2001, becoming the first Filipina quarterfinalist in the event’s history. It’s her second last 8 appearance in the 1000-level tours, next only to the four majors which she had already played in as the first Filipina as well.

Moreover, Ms. Eala — who became the youngest Asian woman to post multiple Top-10 wins surpassing Naomi Osaka — rose as only the third Asian player to reach multiple WTA 1000 quarterfinals before turning 21, joining Ms. Osaka and Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen.

“It’s super special. Every round is such a battle and so filled with tension so I’m really happy with how I performed,” said Ms. Eala, who snapped Ms. Cirstea’s seven-game winning run since ruling the Cluj-Napoca Open at home over world No. 25 Emma Raducanu of Great Britain.

“I think the key to today was staying calm and trusting my shots. I think I was very solid in particular moments where I needed to be. So yeah, that reflected in my performance and in the score.”

Ms. Eala’s win has now catapulted her to No. 32 in the live WTA rankings with 205 additional points albeit it’s still subject to change upon the official update next week.

Out for vengeance after her playoff streak this season was snapped with a first-round exit in the WTA 1000 Qatar Open, Ms. Eala did it behind another roaring Filipino support, proving her stature as one of the world’s hottest tickets today at only 20 years of age with packed stadiums one after another regardless of the country she’s in.

“The waves of support have really just made every single match all the more special. And it’s so difficult to describe the emotions and the actual experience of playing in front of this crowd. So I’m really grateful to be here,” beamed Ms. Eala, who had to weather Ms. Cirstea’s storm in the second set.

Ms. Eala zoomed to a 4-0 lead by holding serve but yielded to Ms. Cirstea’s torrid 4-1 answer to strike within 4-5 for a potential decider bid. But Ms. Eala was calm, cool and collected, holding serve in the 10^th where she completed a love game capped by a forehand winner that kissed the baseline out of Ms. Cirstea’s reach.

It’s the same winner for Ms. Eala against the 2024 Dubai champion and this year’s No. 6 seed Ms. Paolini, whom she beat with a 6-1, 7-6(7-5) triumph for her third career win against Top 10 players.

And now, a familiar foe stands in her way as she shoots for a fourth Top-10 slay.

“You know, Coco (Gauff) is such an amazing person, and we tend to forget that she’s just a year older than me. But she’s a great role model for so many, so I’m really excited for that match,” said Ms. Eala, who teamed up with two-time Grand Slam champion Ms. Gauff for a quarterfinal finish in the 2025 Italian Open.

A win by Ms. Eala would replicate her best WTA 1000 outing so far in the 2025 Miami Open, where she reached the semifinals all the way from the qualifiers that shattered the gates wide open to her Top 100 and later on Top-50 entry.

But that would not be walk in the park against the 21-year-old Ms. Gauff, who looks forward to experiencing the ever-supportive Filipino crowd once again.

“I know you guys are probably here for Alex so I’m sorry to make you wait,” smiled the No. 3 seed Ms. Gauff, who pulled off a 2-6, 7-6(11-9), 6-3 comeback win against world doubles No. 1 and singles No. 22 Elise Mertens of Belgium in the Round of 16. “If I’m not mistaken, I think some of you guys are cheering for me so I appreciate it a lot and I hope you guys enjoy the next match.” — John Bryan Ulanday