Next up for Eala is world number 8 Jasmine Paolini of Italy
ALEXANDRA “ALEX” EALA earned a shot at world No. 8 Jasmine Paolini of Italy, winning 6-4, 0-1 by retiring American Hailey Baptiste after an injury in Round 1 of the WTA 1000 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Monday morning.
Ms Eala, who dropped to number 47 in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings this week, escaped with a win in the Round of 64 as Ms Baptiste did not go through the entire match due to stomach pain at the start of the second set.
The 20-year-old from the Philippines came from 3-all points in the first set after a 4-1 run that gave him a say in his victory.
Mrs. Baptiste fouled out for the second time in what appeared to be revenge in an attempt to force the referee out as Ms Eala won on 57 minutes.
Although Ms. Eala did not want anything, it was a repeat for him after winning 6(1)-7, 7-6(4), 6-1 against Ms. Top-ranked Baptiste was at her best in qualifying for the Eastbourne Open, where she made her WTA finals appearance only to bow out to Australia’s Maya Joint, 6-6-7, 6-7-1 in an epic marathon.
Ms. Baptiste, 24, was also the No. 1 seed in the Dubai qualifier and won 6-4, 6-4 over Chinese Shuai Zhang (WTA No. 86) to earn a shot at Ms. Eala in the main draw but to no avail.
“Obviously, no one likes to move forward like this, as I’m on tour I’m starting to find out at this level how different it is to take care of your physical health. I really hope that Hailey is okay and she’ll be back soon,” said Ms. Come on.
Next to Ms. Eala In the 32nd round by Ms. The multi-titled Paolini, who earned a first-round bye as the No. 6 seed in the 1000-ranked tournament alongside the big four.
The 30-year-old Ms Paolini, who won the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics with her partner Sara Errani, boasts more achievements than the young Filipina who prides herself as the heavy favorite in the duel for a place in the final four. Despite reaching a career-best No. 3 in both singles and doubles, Ms. Paolini became a two-time Grand Slam singles finalist linked to the doubles champion at the 2025 French Open.
That should be enough warning that the mountain climber Ms. How should Eala fare to book a Round of Fourteen ticket against WTA No. 14 Linda Noskova from Czechia or the winner between Sorana Cirstea from Romania (No. 32) and Aliaksandra Sasnovich from Belarus (No. 113).
Mrs. Eala, who is guaranteed $26,000 and 65 points, is looking to collect more points to hold a fort inside the Top 50 after a seven-spot slide this week.
The left-handed ace walked free after a first-round exit at the WTA 1000 Qatar Open last week.
Before that, Ms. Eala reached the semifinals of the WTA 250 ASB Classic in New Zealand, the quarterfinals of the WTA 125 Philippine Women’s Open on her first home tour and the WTA 500 Abu Dhabi Open, where she also reached four doubles finals with fellow Indonesian Janice Tjen.
He also completed appearances at all four major tournaments after making his debut at the Australian Open last month in Melbourne, where he claimed the exhibition title and the Kooyong Classic. – John Bryan Ulanday
