Alex Eala is looking to sustain her winning form when she faces Sorana Cîrstea in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships Round of 16.
Things are only going to get tougher for Alex Eala.
After pulling off a dramatic 6-1, 7-6(5) win against WTA world no. 8 Jasmine Paolini, Eala looks to sustain her fine play this time against Sorana Cîrstea of Romania in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships Round of 16.
[RELATED: Alex Eala credits crowd support in upset of world no. 8 Jasmine Paolini in Dubai]
Eala needed a tiebreak in a nip-and-tuck second set to stun Paolini, scoring her third top-10 victory much to the delight the Filipino crowd at center court.
Now the Pinay rising star shifts her focus on the 35-year-old Cirstea, who beat her in the Round of 64 in Madrid in 2024.
Their second-ever match fires off at 12:10 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 19 (PH time).
It will be aired live on Cignal via Premier Sports 2 (Ch. 273 HD).
Cîrstea is a seasoned player who has four singles title under her belt.
Before Dubai, she beat Emma Raducanu, 6-0, 6-2 to claim the 2026 Transylvania Open.
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Like most sportswriters, Jan Ballesteros once dreamed of becoming a professional hooper. But he learned the hard way that it’s not for everyone.
He continues to be involved in the sport he loves, but this time as a member of the PBA Press Corps. Aside from primarily covering the PBA, he is also assigned to cover Gilas Pilipinas.