After a hard-earned win the previous day, Alex Eala goes back to work, this time against a more formidable foe in Ekaterina Alexandrova in the Abu Dhabi Open.
Alex Eala’s Abu Dhabi Open run just keeps getting louder—and tougher.
Fresh off a gutsy 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(5) comeback win over Aliaksandra Sasnovich, the Filipina star steps into her biggest test yet at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open singles quarterfinals on Thursday, February 5.
The match is set for 9:00 pm.
[RELATED STORY: Alex Eala mounts epic comeback vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich, reaches Abu Dhabi QF]
Staring at a 0-4 deficit in the final frame, Eala leaned heavily on the energy of the Filipino crowd to claw her way back.
The deciding tiebreak was razor-thin, but when Sasnovich blinked with a pair of late errors, Eala pounced—closing it out with a composed backhand winner that summed up her growing belief on tour.
That belief will be tested by Ekaterina Alexandrova, the world No. 11 and a proven force at the WTA 500 level.
The Russian owns five WTA singles titles and climbed as high as world No. 10 just last October.
After a first-round bye, Alexandrova made quick work of Dayana Yastremska, 6-3, 6-0, to book her date with Eala.
Eala, currently ranked No. 45—also a career high, enters as the underdog, but her fearless shot-making and refusal to fold have already become a theme this week.
Against a more formidable, more experienced opponent, she’ll need that same resilience—and perhaps another surge from the crowd—to keep her Abu Dhabi dream alive.
(With reports from Jan Ballesteros)
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[Editor’s note: This article was written by a member of One Sports Digital with the help of AI and reviewed by editorial staff for accuracy.]