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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Coco Gauff receives warm support from Filipino fans

Coco Gauff receives warm support from Filipino fans

Published Feb 19, 2026 03:33 pm

At A Glance

  • American world No. 4 Coco Gauff expressed her gratitude for the extra support she received during her campaign in the WTA 1000 Dubai Tennis Championships in the United Arab Emirates.
Coco Gauff (Dubai Tennis Championships)
Coco Gauff (Dubai Tennis Championships)
American world No. 4 Coco Gauff expressed her gratitude for the extra support she received during her campaign in the WTA 1000 Dubai Tennis Championships in the United Arab Emirates.
The 21-year-old Gauff took advantage of the Filipino fans’ energy as she scored a 2-6, 7-6(9), 6-3 win over Belgian Elise Mertens on the center court, just a few minutes before Alex Eala took on Romanian Sorana Cirstea.
That Gauff-Mertens match lasted for two hours and 18 minutes, pushing the schedule of Eala who eventually struck back at Cirstea, 7-5, 6-4, also in the Last 16.
“I’m really happy to get through today, I know you guys are probably here for Alex, so I’m sorry to make you wait,” said the third seed Gauff.
“But if I’m not… mistaken I think some of you guys are cheering for me, so I appreciated it a lot, and I hope you guys enjoy the next match, but thank you for cheering me for now,” she added.
Gauff, a two-time Grand Slam champion, arranged a quarterfinal clash against Eala – the first-ever meeting of two rising stars in the deep and competitive professional tennis field.
Eala later heaped praise on her former doubles partner at last year’s Internazionali BNL d’Italia.
“I'm looking forward to it. Coco is such an amazing person and we tend to forget that she's just a year older than me but she's a great role model for so many so I'm really excited for that match,” said Eala.
The victor will forge a semis meeting either with battle-tested Ukrainian Elina Svitolina or Croatian Antonia Ružić.
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