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Smiles, autographs and belief: Eala wins hearts despite Gauff setback in Dubai
The highest-ranked player in the history of the Philippines, Eala would look on the bright side after reaching the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 tournament
- PUBLISHED: Thu 19 Feb 2026, 10:15 PM
Despite a demoralising defeat against Coco Gauff, one of the world’s best players, that silenced the packed Dubai Stadium, Alexandra Eala remained a picture of poise.
After being put to the sword by Gauff in the 6-0, 6-2 quarterfinal defeat at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, Eala still obliged her adoring fans with autographs as she slowly made her way to the media mixed zone for her post-match press conference.
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The Filipina trailblazer admitted that Thursday’s defeat to the two-time Grand Slam winner proved how far she still must travel to reach the level of the world’s elite players in a brutally competitive sport like tennis.
“Coco played really well; I don't think it was my best performance. I definitely could have performed better. But all things aside, I think there is still definitely a gap, in terms of level, between Coco and me and other players of her calibre,” Eala admitted.
The highest-ranked player in the history of the Philippines, Eala would look on the bright side after reaching the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 tournament, less than a year after her stunning run to the semifinals of the Miami Open, where she defeated three Grand Slam winners.
But her immediate aim will be to consistently challenge the top players on the world’s biggest stages.
“My job is now to try and close that gap. I will keep working on it. The gap is pretty prominent, but it’s not that I am so far out of reach of these players,” she said.
“I am not really so disappointed now. I feel good about the whole week in general. The biggest takeaway is that I am on the right path.”
Overpowered by Gauff’s power and precision, the 20-year-old struggled for rhythm on her serve and that scorching forehand with which she put on such a dazzling show in the previous rounds, deserted her completely on Thursday.
But this was a week she would look back on with a smile on her face, having beaten world number eight Jasmine Paolini, her third win against a top-10 player, in the round of 32.
With her infectious energy on the tennis court, she also became a symbol of Filipino pride in Dubai as all of her matches got full houses that roared after every point she won.
Even Gauff was moved by the newfound Filipino passion for tennis.
“I think tennis needs more of this. It's great just to see a nation so proud of someone, especially a nation that's pretty underrepresented in this sport. It's pretty cool to see,” the world number five said.
What was also beautiful to see was Eala’s smile after she earned a rare break of serve in the second set, drawing huge cheers from a crowd that had been devastated by Gauff’s relentless assault from the baseline.
“I also liked, even at 6-0, 4-1 or 4-0 something, when she was smiling. I think that's something that you can't buy that,” Gauff said.
“I see why people want to root for her. I root for her when I'm not playing her, of course!"
Rituraj Borkakoty is Sports Editor and has spent more than two decades writing on his sporting heroes. He also loves an underdog story, so if you have one, share it with him. He would love to bring it to life.
