One of the second round matches at the 2026 Abu Dhabi Open will see rising Filipino star, Alexandra Eala, take on Aliaksandra Sasnovich. While Eala began her campaign with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Zeynep Sönmez in the first round, Sasnovich caused a big upset, winning 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 against the eighth-seeded Paula Badosa in the first round.
Alexandra Eala vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich Match Details
Date: Feb. 4, 2026
Tournament: Abu Dhabi Open 2026
Round: Second round (Round of 16)
Venue: Zayed Sports City International Tennis Center, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Surface: Outdoor hard
Category: WTA 500
Live Telecast: Tennis Channel, TSN, RDS, Sky Sports
Eala vs Sasnovich Head-to-Head
This will be the first meeting between the two players on the WTA Tour, and therefore, the head-to-head stands at 0-0.
Eala has had some decent results to begin the season, reaching the semifinals of the ASB Classic, where she lost to Wang Xinyu, and the quarterfinals of the Manila Challenger, where she lost to Camila Osorio. One disappointing result for the Filipino player was having a first-round exit at the Australian Open, where she lost 6-0, 3-6, 2-6 against Alycia Parks.
Meanwhile, Sasnovich began her season by qualifying for the Brisbane International and reaching the third round in the main draw, where she lost 4-6,4-6 against Liudmila Samsonova. She qualified for the main draw at the Australian Open by winning three straight matches, but could not get past the opening round as she lost to Jasmine Paolini in straight sets.
At the Abu Dhabi Open, Sasnovich lost to Sonay Kartal in the qualifiers but entered the main draw as a lucky loser.
Eala vs Sasnovich Prediction
Eala won 64% of the first serve points and 41% of the second serve points in her previous round. She was not solid behind her serve, as she was broken four times in the match. However, she was strong in return games, breaking her opponent’s serve 6 times, putting her in a dominant position.
Sasnovich won 59% of the service points and 46% of the return points against Badosa in the previous round. She was broken four times on her serve but created 11 break-point opportunities, converting six of them, which helped her win against the Spaniard.
Neither Eala nor Sasnovich has excellent serve stats, and therefore, the return games will be key in the upcoming match. Which of the two players will convert better on break point opportunities will be a key factor in determining the victor.
Eala has already shown her mettle against some of the top-ranked players in the world at some of the biggest competitions on Tour, especially during her Miami Open run last year. Therefore, it is expected she will play the pressure points better and will have the edge going into the match.
Pick– Eala to win in three sets
