Alex Eala, Janice Tjen make WTA 500 semis breakthrough as Abu Dhabi run hits new heights

Alex Eala’s week in Abu Dhabi became a tale of momentum, resilience, and firsts—one that underscored her growing presence on the WTA stage even in the face of a demanding schedule.

Alongside Indonesia’s Janice Tjen, Eala carved out a shared career milestone by storming into the doubles semifinals of a WTA 500 tournament for the first time. 

The Southeast Asian pairing delivered a composed and authoritative performance, dispatching second seeds Zhang Shuai of China and Cristina Bucsa of Spain, 6-3, 6-3, in the quarterfinals of the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open at the Zayed Sports City International Tennis Centre.

From the opening games, Eala and Tjen made it clear they were in control. They surged to 3-0 leads in both sets, consistently applied pressure on return, and broke serve five times overall. Zhang and Bucsa—both seasoned doubles players—never once managed to draw level, as the match wrapped up in just one hour and seven minutes.

The victory stood out even more given the pedigree of their opponents. Zhang is a recent Australian Open champion, while Bucsa currently sits at world No. 22 and reached the finals of the WTA 500 Brisbane International earlier this year. Yet it was the younger duo who dictated tempo and execution throughout.

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SEA-MIS BOUND

Southeast Asian duo Alex Eala and Janice Tjen charge past China’s Zhang Shuai and Spain’s Cristina Bucsa to reach the semifinals of the Abu Dhabi Open doubles, 6-3, 6-3!#AlexEala #MubadalaAbuDhabiOpen pic.twitter.com/z0KRQ9vdFD

— One Sports (@OneSportsPHL) February 5, 2026

For Eala, the doubles triumph also served as a quick rebound after a physically taxing stretch. It marked her third match in less than 24 hours, a run that tested both endurance and focus.

Earlier in the day, the Filipina standout saw her singles campaign come to an end in the quarterfinals, bowing to second seed Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia, 6-3, 6-2. Less than a day removed from a grueling two-hour-and-53-minute, three-set win over Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus, Eala returned to Stadium Court to face the world No. 11.

Alexandrova, fresh off a dominant win over Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska, proved too powerful this time, closing out the match in an hour and 31 minutes. Still, the result carried significance: Eala reached the quarterfinals of a WTA 500 event for the first time in her career, another step forward in her steady rise.

The week is not over yet for Eala. Together with Tjen, she now eyes a spot in the doubles final when they face world No. 26 Olivia Nicholls of Great Britain and Tereza Mihalikova of the Slovak Republic on Friday—another opportunity to turn a breakthrough run into something even bigger.

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