Alexandra Eala has advanced to the Dubai Tennis Championships second round after Hailey Baptiste retired midway through their contest on Sunday.
Eala, who has an outside shot at winning the Dubai title, was leading 6-4, 0-1 when Baptiste was forced to retire due to an abdominal injury.
Baptiste approached Eala by the umpire’s chair before explaining, ‘my ab is messed up,’ to which Eala replied, ‘I’m so sorry.’
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It was a disappointing end to what had been an enthralling contest on the Dubai Centre Court. Eala, the world number 43, will face Jasmine Paolini in the next round.
In her post-match interview, the Filipina reflected on the result while offering her condolences to Baptiste.
Alex Eala’s heartwarming message to Hailey Baptiste
In her on-court interview, Eala said: “Obviously, no one likes advancing in this way, and being on Tour, I’m starting to discover really at this level how difficult it is to maintain your health physically.
“So I really hope that Hailey [pictured below] is okay and will bounce back soon.”
Speaking about the win, Eala added: “Super happy to be in the next round. These tournaments are such great experiences for me, especially playing in front of the best crowd ever [cheering].
“Yeah so I’m really doing my best to try and enjoy every moment I have on court.”
As mentioned previously, Eala faces sixth seed Jasmine Paolini in the second round. Eala and Paolini have never played each other before on the WTA Tour.
If Eala pulls off the upset and defeats Paolini, she will play either Linda Noskova, Sorana Cirstea or Aliksandra Sasnovich in the next round.
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Eala recently produced a ‘career-defining’ comeback against Sasnovich at the Abu Dhabi Open, fighting from 0-4 down in the final set to win 2-6, 6-4, 7-6.
How many WTA points would Eala earn if she defeats Paolini?
As things stand, Eala has earned 65 WTA ranking points following her victory against Baptiste. If she defeats Paolini on Tuesday, the 20-year-old will earn a further 55 points, taking her total to 120.
As Eala did not participate in the 2025 Dubai Tennis Championships, all 120 points will be added to her total following the tournament’s conclusion.
| WTA 1000 Round | Points |
| R64 | 35 |
| R32 | 65 |
| R16 | 120 |
| Quarter-finals | 215 |
| Semi-finals | 390 |
| Final | 650 |
| Champion | 1000 |
With 390 points to defend in Miami, Eala is entering a crucial stage of her career.
If she can capitalise and record a strong performance in Dubai, she will have a safety net heading into the Miami Open, which will take place in March.
The 20-year-old is certainly capable of going far in Dubai, as proven by her run to the 2025 Miami Open semi-finals. Whether she can execute her Miami heroics in Dubai is another matter.
