Published Feb 16, 2026 08:18 am
ed a quick ticket in the second round after American Hailey Baptiste retired in the second set of their round of 64 clash, 6-4, 0-1 (ret), at the WTA 1000 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in the United Arab Emirates late Sunday night, Feb. 15.
Alex Eala earned a quick ticket in the second round after American Hailey Baptiste retired in the second set of their round of 64 clash, 6-4, 0-1 (ret), at the WTA 1000 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in the United Arab Emirates late Sunday night, Feb. 15.
Eala, 20, overcame a sluggish start, breaking a 2-2 deadlock before unleashing a series of superb hits to build a 5-3 cushion en route to a first-set edge.
However, the highly anticipated duel ended prematurely when the 24-year-old Baptiste appeared to have suffered an abdominal injury, forcing her to exit the match.
Apart from her stellar debut on Dubai soil, the Filipina tennis ace sets up a daunting round of 32 duel against world No. 8 and competition’s No. 6 seed Italian Jasmine Paolini, who received an early bye in the opener.
“I’m happy to be in the next round. These tournaments are such a great experience for me, especially playing in front of the best crowd ever,” Eala said. “I will do my best to try [and] enjoy every moment I have on court.”
This will mark the first-ever meeting on the WTA Tour between Eala and Paolini, the winner of last year’s French Open women’s doubles crown with fellow Italian Sara Errani.
It was also the second time that No. 40 Eala eliminated No. 39 Baptiste after the former carved out a 6-7(7), 7-6(7), 6-1 escape to barge into the main draw of the WTA 250 Lexus Eastbourne Open in Great Britain last June.
However, Eala admitted she wasn’t a fan of her recent win, acknowledging how tough it is to stay healthy in the ultra-competitive WTA Tour and extending her well wishes to Baptiste for a speedy recovery.
“Obviously, no one likes advancing this way [and] being on tour I’m starting to discover really at this level how different it is to maintain your health physically,” said Eala moments after the game.
“I really hope Hailey [Baptiste] is okay and will bounce back soon,” she added.
With a week of respite after her exit in the Qatar Open in Doha, Eala needed to shake off some jitters after she struggled early against Baptiste.
The Filipina netter then rediscovered her form after converting two break points in the 5th and 7th of the opening frame to seize 4-3 edge before winning two of the next three games.
Baptiste staged a brief comeback, claiming the first game of the second set in a tense exchange featuring multiple deuces and break points. Unfortunately, the American then suffered the injury that forced her to retire from the match.
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