Eala faces world No. 8 Paolini in 2nd round

Eala Faces Paolini in 2nd Round at Dubai Tennis Championships

The Future of Tennis Eala Takes on World No. 8 Paolini in Second Round Showdown

Filipino tennis sensation Alexandra Alex Eala will face Italian Jasmine Paolini, world No. 8, in the second round of the Dubai Tennis Championships on Tuesday.

The highly anticipated match between the world's No. 47 Eala and Paolini is scheduled to take place late Tuesday night, Manila time, although a specific start time has not been announced as of Monday.

Eala advanced to the second round after claiming a walkover victory over American Hailey Baptiste on Sunday night, following Baptiste's retirement in the first game of the second set due to injury. The final score was 6-4, 0-1.

In her post-match interview, Eala reflected on her unexpected win, saying, Obviously no one likes advancing in this way. Being on Tour, I'm starting to discover on this level how difficult it is to maintain physically so I really hope that Hailey is okay and will bounce back soon.

Paolini, meanwhile, entered the second round after receiving a first-round bye. A three-time singles champion, Paolini most recently competed at the Qatar Open, where she fell to Greek Maria Sakkari in the round of 32 last week.

In their previous meeting, Eala faced Czech Tereza Valentova in the round of 64 at the same tournament, ultimately falling short.

As Eala takes on Paolini, she can count on the enthusiastic support of the Filipino diaspora, who rallied behind her in her first-round match. I'm super happy to be in the next round, said Eala. These tournaments are such a great experience for me, especially playing in front of the best crowd ever, so I'm really doing my best to try to enjoy every moment I have on the court.

Eala's achievement marks a milestone in Philippine tennis history, as no other Filipino player has reached this level of play and status in the sport.

In recognition of their outstanding achievements, Eala and world champion gymnast Carlos Yulo were honored as the male and female Athletes of the Year at the 2026 San Miguel Corporation-Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Annual Awards Night at the Diamond Hotel Manila on Monday night.

Edward Lance Arellano Lorilla

CEO / Co-Founder

Enjoy the little things in life. For one day, you may look back and realize they were the big things. Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.