An unfortunate arm injury forced Coco Gauff to retire from her third-round match against Alexandra Eala at the Indian Wells Masters. Eala, however, expressed sympathy for the American star afterward, admitting she didn’t want to win the contest like that.
Alexandra Eala Opens Up As Shocking Arm Injury Costs Coco Gauff’s Indian Wells Third-Round Match
The Filipina progressed to the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open for the first time in her career after Gauff retired with a left arm injury on Sunday. Eala had already taken firm control, claiming the opening set 6-2 and building a 2-0 lead in the second before the American was forced to stop after 54 minutes.
Gauff began showing signs of discomfort late in the opening set while trailing 5-2 and subsequently called for a medical timeout. Play resumed, but Eala quickly capitalized, breaking serve to close out the set 6-2. Gauff received extensive treatment and taping on her left forearm during the changeover, yet the issue persisted. After falling behind in the first two games of the second set, the American ultimately decided she could not continue.
Gauff then walked to the net and explained the issue with her left arm to Eala, before the two shared a warm embrace. Their conversation continued briefly at courtside, with the Filipina appearing concerned for the American.
Not the ending we wanted to see 💔
Coco Gauff is forced to retire against Alex Eala after feeling persistent pain in her arm. 😓
Wonderful sportsmanship from both 🤝 pic.twitter.com/chxwX99aUT
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) March 9, 2026
Eala used the post-match interview to celebrate International Women’s Day, thanking women who paved the way in sport, including her mother and, most importantly, Gauff. She praised the American for being an amazing competitor and a role model while also wishing her a speedy recovery.
“First and foremost, I want to say happy women’s day everybody. Bare with me because I have a lot to say. I want to say thank you to you all. The incredible women who have paved the way and who have advocated for themselves and for other women. Among them is Coco. So thank you Coco, for being an amazing competitor and amazing role model,” she said.
“And I really hope that everything is well and you will recover soon. I also want to say happy women’s day to my mom, who is there in the stands. I wanna thank her for being the amazing woman that she is. And for helping me become the woman that I am. And that goes to all mothers,” she added.
Wishing you a speedy recovery, Coco 💚
Alexandra Eala advances into the Round of 16 after Gauff is forced to retire.#TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/Hp4JtsP9HU
— wta (@WTA) March 9, 2026
The southpaw admitted she wished the match against Gauff had ended differently, but said playing on Stadium 1 at Indian Wells against a top opponent remained a special and memorable moment.
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“I really didn’t want to win this way but this is still a really big moment for me to be able to play on Stadium 1 of Indian Wells and against such a great competitor. I am really grateful to be here and I am super happy,” she concluded.
The challenge will only intensify for Eala from here on. She is set to face Czechia’s Linda Nosková in the fourth round of the WTA 1000 event, with PFSN’s exclusive simulator giving Nosková a 63% chance of winning the matchup.
