Alexandra Eala defeated the Romanian star Sorana Cîrstea on Wednesday, February 18, to reach the quarterfinals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. She is now set to face World No. 4 Coco Gauff in the final eight on Thursday, February 19. After her dominating win over the Romanian, the Filipino star expressed her feelings on facing Gauff in the quarterfinals.
Alexandra Eala Set to Face Coco Gauff in Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships Quarterfinal
Eala beat Cîrstea 7-5, 6-4 on the Centre Court of the Aviation Club Tennis Centre in an hour and 39 minutes to reach the WTA 1000 quarterfinal. After trading early breaks in the first set, both players tied the match at 5-all before Eala decisively broke her opponent and then served out the set in the very next game. The second set was completely different, as Eala reeled off to a 5-1 lead after breaking Cîrstea twice, who then won three consecutive points, breaking the Filipino, but couldn’t stop her from serving out the match.
After the match, the interviewer asked Eala about the key to her success in the last stages of the tournament. She replied that if she keeps playing like this, the results could be in her favour. She then directly addressed her opponent, saying,
“Coco is such an amazing person, and we tend to forget that she’s just a year older than me, but she’s a great role model for so many. So I’m really excited for that match.”
Interestingly, Gauff had addressed Eala before her match against Cîrstea during her post-match on-court interview as well. She apologized to the Filipino audience, who were waiting patiently to witness their local star, for her long match against Elise Mertens, which had delayed Eala’s appearance on court.
Eala and Gauff’s Round of 16 Matches Before Heading into Dubai QF
Eala delivered a technical masterpiece against Cîrstea during her round of 16 match. The Filipino showed impressive serving skills, managing to land nearly 70% of her first serves, while winning 67% of those points. On her second serve, Eala’s performance didn’t drop as she won 64% of those points, showcasing her precision. Even though she couldn’t strike any aces, she had a composed performance throughout the match, winning 55% of the total points in the match.
Gauff, on the other hand, had to grind her way through the Belgian Mertens, who nearly eliminated the American. The third seed of the tournament struggled with her serves, committing 16 double faults throughout the match. She just landed 43% of the first serves and won just 46% of her second serve points. However, she dictated the gameplay on her return, winning nearly 50% of the points on both returns.
In the dramatic second set, both players broke each other four times, thus forcing a tiebreak. Gauff took a 5-3 lead, but Mertens then won three consecutive points to make the score 5-6 in her favor. She then held match point, but Gauff levelled the score at 6-6, before she created another match point. Then, at 9-8, Mertens had another match point, but couldn’t convert it, as Gauff won three consecutive points and took the set.
In the third set, Gauff broke Merterns three times to secure the match and her berth in Dubai QF. Both players have never faced each other on tour before, making the upcoming clash highly anticipated.
