MANILA, Philippines — World No. 4 Coco Gauff's power plays proved too much for Alex Eala to overcome as the Filipina tennis star succumbed to a 6-0, 6-2 beating in the quarterfinals of 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships early Friday morning (Manila time) at the Aviation Tennis Centre in Dubai.
Gauff dominated the first set and led by 4-0 in the second as the visibly frustrated Eala committed one error after another.
World No. 40 Eala, however, gave a fightback, started putting more angles and placing more variety on her shots to earn a point, 4-1, making the dominantly Filipino crowd at the venue erupt in jubilation.
With momentum on her side, Eala managed to win again for a 4-2 score but Gauff regained composure and secured a 6-2 win to advance to the semifinal round.
“Alex is a tough competitor, even though I was up, I know she can comeback like the way she did before,” Gauff said after the match.
“I like to thank Alex for bringing in a new demographic in the sport. It’s tough playing against a ‘home court’ or a home court. Whenever you guys are cheering for Alex, I am pretending that you’re cheering for my name," she added.
The 21-year-old Gauff previously reached the semifinals of the Dubai Championships in 2023.