Eala Blazes a Path that Leads to Gauff in Dubai

The first player from the Philippines to contest the main draw at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships is sticking around. Alexandra Eala surged into the Dubai quarterfinals on Wednesday, defeating Sorana Cirstea 7-5, 6-4 in front of a passionate crowd of supporters.

The 20-year-old powers into her second career WTA 1000 quarterfinal (following Miami 2025) and will face Coco Gauff in the last eight on Thursday.

Gauff gave a nod to Eala and the adoration she receives from the Filipino fanbase after completing a scrappy victory over Elise Mertens, telling the crowd, “I know you guys are probably here for Alex, so I’m sorry to make you wait.”

Gauff and Eala previously shared the same side of the doubles court in Rome last year, where they reached the round of 16, but they have never met in singles.

How special does it feel to be the breakout star making history for her country virtually every time she notches a hard-fought win?

“Super special!” Eala told the crowd. “Every round is such a battle. So filled with tension, so I’m really happy with how I performed.”

Eala earned her tenth career Top 50 win against the 35-year-old Cirstea, pulling away in the second set. The tight opening set featured a trade of breaks in the first four games and a late break by Eala for 6-5 before she converted her third set point.

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

The World No. 47 jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second set before Cirstea mounted a comeback, winning four of the next five games to close the gap to 5-4. Eala was up to the task, holding steady to clinch yet another emotional victory.

“The waves of support have really made every single match all the more special,” she told the crowd. “It’s so difficult to describe the emotions and the experience of playing in front of this crowd—I’m really grateful to be here.”

Eala improves to 1-1 lifetime against the Romanian, having lost their only previous meeting in Madrid in 2024.

Eala, who entered the week at No.47 in the WTA rankings, is up to No.32 in the live rankings and will likely break a new career-high next week, rocketing past her previous best ranking of No.40.

“I’m on a good path; if I continue like this, the next match will be great,” Eala said. “I’m looking forward to it. Coco is such an amazing person. We tend to forget that she’s just a year older than me, but she’s a great role model for so many.”