By Samantha Yu
MANILA – Filipino tennis standout Alex Eala continued her impressive run at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, advancing to the quarterfinals after a straight-sets win over Romania’s Sorana Cîrstea, 7-5, 6-4, in their third-round match early Thursday (Philippine time) in the United Arab Emirates.
Eala, ranked No. 47 in the world, showed poise under pressure, navigating a tight first set before taking control in the second to book her place in the tournament’s final eight.
Standing in her way next is third seed and world No. 4 Coco Gauff of the United States. Gauff survived a tough three-set battle against Belgium’s Elise Mertens, rallying for a 2-6, 7-6(9), 6-3 victory to reach the quarterfinals.
The 2025 Southeast Asian Games singles gold medalist has been in stellar form throughout the week. Prior to her win over Cîrstea, Eala stunned sixth seed Jasmine Paolini of Italy, cruising to a 6-1, 6-3 triumph in the second round.
Elsewhere in the draw, Croatia’s Antonia Ružić moved on after top seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan was forced to retire during their match, with Ružić leading 5-7, 6-4, 1-0. Ružić will face Ukraine’s seventh seed Elina Svitolina, who fought back to beat Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic, 4-6, 6-1, 6-3.
Defending champion and fifth seed Mirra Andreeva also reached the quarterfinals, setting up a meeting with second seed Amanda Anisimova. Andreeva eliminated Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian, 7-5, 6-3, while Anisimova dispatched Indonesian wild card Janice Tjen, 6-1, 6-3.
Meanwhile, fourth seed Jessica Pegula advanced with a 6-4, 6-2 win over compatriot Iva Jovic, earning a quarterfinal showdown with Denmark’s 12th seed Clara Tauson, who ousted Poland’s Magda Linette, 6-4, 6-2.
Eala’s deep run in the prestigious WTA 1000 event underscores her steady climb on the world stage and further cements her status as one of Asia’s brightest emerging stars in women’s tennis. /ia
