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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Alex Eala stuns world No. 8 Paolini, forges rematch vs Cirstea in WTA 1000 Dubai

Alex Eala stuns world No. 8 Paolini, forges rematch vs Cirstea in WTA 1000 Dubai

Published Feb 18, 2026 02:28 am

At A Glance

  • Alex Eala displayed her steely nerves against the feisty world No. 8 Italian Jasmine Paolini in the second set and hacked out a hard-fought 6-1, 7-6 (7) win to book her ticket in Round of 16 of the WTA 1000 Dubai Tennis Championships in the United Arab Emirates Wednesday morning, Feb. 18 (Philippine time).
Alex Eala (Screengrab from Premier Sports 2)
Alex Eala (Screengrab from Premier Sports 2)
Alex Eala displayed her steely nerves against the feisty world No. 8 Italian Jasmine Paolini in the second set and hacked out a hard-fought 6-1, 7-6 (7) win to book her ticket in Round of 16 of the WTA 1000 Dubai Tennis Championships in the United Arab Emirates Wednesday morning, Feb. 18 (Philippine time).
After squandering a 5-3 lead and falling behind 5-6 in the second set, Eala, 20, bounced back at the perfect moment. In the tiebreak, she delivered a masterclass on both offense and defense, saving two set points to deny the 30-year-old Paolini a chance for a decider by sealing a thrilling victory in their one-hour and 40-minute showdown.
It marked Eala’s biggest victory of the year so far as Paolini is currently within the Top 10 in the global rankings.
The victory set her up a rematch against No. 32 Sorana Cirstea of Romania in the Round of 16, after the latter stunned No. 14 Linda Noskova 6-1, 6-4.
The two had previously met nearly two years ago in the second round of the WTA 1000 Madrid Open, where Cirstea edged Eala in a tight three-set battle, 3-6, 7-6, 6-4.

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