Alex Eala is back in winning form at the Dubai Open 2026, beating former champion and number 6 seed Jasmine Paolini, 6-1, 7-6(5), in a decisive first set and a thrilling second set tie-break.
With her win over the Italian former Wimbledon and French Open finalist, Eala makes new records: becoming the first Filipino player to reach the Round of 16 at the Dubai Tennis Championships since the event’s inauguration in 2001 and the first Filipino player to reach the Round of 16 at multiple Tier I or WTA 1000 events since the introduction of the Tier format in 1990 after her breakthrough performance at the Miami Open last year.
As usual, Eala drew a huge Filipino crowd to back her in the United Arab Emirates, where there are an estimated nearly a million Filipinos. It is partly through these fans’ support that Eala was able to bring out her best tennis in the first set, dominating Paolini even in serving, where the 20-year-old Filipino prodigy was never known to flourish. Eala had three match points in the second set, while the Italian lagged behind at three games, before forcing a tie-break, which peaked in a 4-4 deadlock.
In a post-match interview, Eala recalled thinking about the Filipino fans who were probably there to see her win. “In the tiebreak, I was trying everything to keep myself in check,” she said. “At the change of ends, I was thinking, you know, this stadium is full of Filipinos. I thought, ‘How many of them are probably praying for me to win?’ So I really had to give everything I got.”
With this win against Paolini, Eala collects her third Top 10 win since going pro. In the Round of 16, Eala will face the current world no. 32, the Romanian player Sorana Cirstea, for a place in the quarterfinals.
