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Alex Eala earns her place within the spherical of 16 of the WTA 1000 Dubai Tennis Championships as she eliminates former champion and world No. 8 Jasmine Paolini of Italy
MANILA, Philippines – With so a lot of her compatriots rooting for her, Alex Eala refused to allow them to down.
Enjoying earlier than a large Filipino crowd within the Dubai Tennis Championships, Eala dug deep and pulled off a 6-1, 7-6 (5) upset over world No. 8 Jasmine Paolini of Italy on Tuesday, February 17 (Wednesday, February 18, Manila time), to clinch her place within the spherical of 16.
Eala fought again from a 5-6 deficit within the second set and got here out triumphant in a nervy tiebreak because the 20-year-old claimed her first win in opposition to a prime 10 opponent for 2026.
“Within the tiebreak, I used to be making an attempt the whole lot to maintain myself in test, and within the change of ends, I used to be considering this stadium is stuffed with Filipinos,” mentioned Eala. “I believed what number of of them are in all probability praying for me to win, so I actually needed to give the whole lot I bought.”
Eala moved on the cusp of the straight-sets win at 5-3 solely to lose the following three video games as Paolini — the 2024 champion of this WTA 1000 match — surged forward at 6-5 to get a crack at forcing a deciding set.
However Eala held serve in a anxious twelfth sport that wanted three deuces to rearrange a tiebreak, the place she broke away from a 4-4 impasse by profitable three of the following 4 factors to advance.
Eala sealed the beautiful victory over Paolini, a Wimbledon and French Open finalist, with a forehand winner.
“The strain was so excessive, particularly throughout that second set, so I’m actually comfortable to have gotten by way of. She’s a terrific opponent, clearly being prime 10, a former champion right here. To have the ability to compete along with her at this stage is a good achievement for me,” mentioned Eala.
Up subsequent for Eala is world No. 32 Sorana Cirstea of Romania on Wednesday, February 18 (Thursday, February 19, Manila time).
Now by way of to the final 16, Eala hopes to duplicate her deep run within the 2025 Miami Open, the place she reached the semifinals in a marketing campaign that propelled her to nice heights. – Rappler.com
