Alexandra Eala and Jasmine Paolini will square off in the second round of the 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships. A year on from her breakout run in tennis, Eala will be determined to take the next steps in her development. Standing in her way on Tuesday will be Paolini, who has endured a difficult start to the season.
Alexandra Eala vs Jasmine Paolini Match Details
Date: Feb. 17, 2026
Tournament: Dubai Tennis Championships 2026
Round: Round of 32
Venue: Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium, Dubai, UAE
Surface: Outdoor hard
Category: WTA 1000
Live Telecast: Tennis Channel, Sky Sports, TSN, TVA
Eala vs Paolini Head-to-Head
This will be the first meeting between Eala and Paolini in women’s singles, although the two have met previously in doubles events. That meeting took place at the 2025 Italian Open, with the Italian duo of Paolini and Sara Errani coming out on top against Eala and Coco Gauff in three sets.
Both players have struggled for consistency so far this season. Eala reached the semifinals in Auckland but was eliminated in the first round of the Australian Open. She then made the quarterfinals in Abu Dhabi, before another first-round exit in Qatar.
Eala was leading against Hailey Baptiste by a set in the first round of the Dubai Tennis Championships, when the American was forced to retire through injury. The 20-year-old will now hope to spring a surprise against the sixth seed.
Paolini looked solid at the Australian Open before being sent packing by Iva Jovic in the third round. She suffered a second-round exit in Qatar and will hope to find some form in Dubai ahead of the Sunshine Swing.
The 30-year-old, who received a first-round bye, could be up against it on Tuesday with Eala likely to receive the majority of the crowd support in Dubai.
Eala vs Paolini Prediction
Despite Eala’s recent struggles, she holds a 2-2 record against WTA top-10 opponents. She will look to take inspiration from her run at last year’s Miami Open, where she defeated Madison Keys and Iga Świątek en route to the semifinals.
Paolini could be vulnerable to an upset as she has struggled to reach the heights she enjoyed in 2024. However, she will be determined to find her form and make a deep run at the Dubai Tennis Championships.
The Italian has a strong overall record of 6-2 in Dubai and also won the WTA 1000 event in 2024. She hopes to see off the challenge of Eala, and her experience could prove to be a useful weapon, especially if the match goes to three sets.
We could see a hard-fought contest between these two very talented players, with Paolini narrowly coming out on top.
Pick – Paolini to win in three sets
