Alex Eala stuns world No. 8 Jasmine Paolini to reach Dubai Round of 16

It didn’t feel like an away match.

Under the bright lights of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, the cheers inside the DDF Tennis Stadium sounded more like Manila than the Middle East. And feeding off that energy, Alex Eala delivered one of the most composed wins of her young career.

The 20-year-old Filipina dismantled World No. 8 Jasmine Paolini, 6-1, 7-6(5), to storm into the Round of 16 — her best run yet in a WTA 1000 event.

From the opening games, Eala looked less like the underdog and more like the aggressor. She broke early, attacked second serves, and wrapped up the first set in just 25 minutes, converting two break points while firing a pair of aces. The sixth-seeded Italian, a reigning WTA 1000 champion in 2024, struggled to find rhythm against the Filipina’s sharp angles and fearless baseline play.

Dubai wasn’t just witnessing an upset — it was watching control.

Eala carried that dominance into the second set, pushing Paolini to the brink at 5-3 with a match point opportunity. But champions don’t fold easily. The Italian clawed back, erased the deficit, and even seized a 6-5 edge before Eala steadied herself to force a tiebreak.

At 4-4 in the breaker, the tension inside Center Court thickened. Then came the shift — Eala accelerating through the final exchanges, winning the race to seven and slamming the door shut in one hour and 40 minutes.

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NAIRAOS MO, ALEX

After a dominant 6-1 opening set and a nerve-wracking 7-6(5) tiebreak finish, Alex Eala shows her emotions after taking down sixth seed Jasmine Paolini to advance to the Round of 16 at the WTA 1000 Dubai Tennis Championships.#AlexEala #WTA1000 #DDFTennis pic.twitter.com/mxBuYFSuKu

— One Sports (@OneSportsPHL) February 17, 2026

The victory came just a day after she was named co-Athlete of the Year by the Philippine Sportswriters Association — a fitting prelude to a performance that further legitimized her rise.

This wasn’t just another Top 10 scalp. It was proof of evolution.

Paolini now joins a growing list of elite opponents Eala has pushed — and beaten — including the likes of Iga Swiatek, Madison Keys, and Clara Tauson. The same fearless reputation once labeled her a “giant-slayer” during her breakthrough Miami Open run last year — the campaign that vaulted her into the Top 100 — now feels less like a narrative and more like a pattern.

What makes this run more impressive is the grind behind it. Dubai marks Eala’s sixth tournament in two months, following stops at the ASB Classic, Australian Open, Philippine Women’s Open, Abu Dhabi Open, and Qatar Open. There has been little pause, little comfort — just steady pursuit of a first WTA Tour title.

Next up is Sorana Cirstea, the World No. 32 who edged Eala in a tight three-set battle at the Madrid Open in 2024. Their Round of 16 meeting offers both revenge and validation.

For now, though, Dubai belongs to Eala.

In a tournament far from home, she found a crowd that felt like family — and played like she never left.

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