Alexandra Eala’s hopes of winning the Dubai Tennis Championships were ended by Coco Gauff.
After scraping through her first two rounds in Dubai, Gauff put in an excellent performance from start to finish, defeating Eala 6-0, 6-2.
As a result, Gauff will face Elina Svitolina in the Dubai semi-finals.
As for Eala, it was a disappointing performance after such an excellent week in Dubai. Before facing Gauff on Thursday, the Filipina had defeated Hailey Baptiste, stunned sixth seed Jasmine Paolini, and beaten Sorana Cirstea in straight sets.
What is the best win of Alexandra Eala’s career so far? 🤔
Iga Swiatek in Miami, Clara Tauson at the US Open, Jasmine Paolini in Dubai, or a different match?
Despite struggling against Gauff, the 20-year-old has many positives to take away from the event.
Alex Eala is set to rise to world number 32
As per the WTA live rankings, Alex Eala is set to rise 15 places to world number 32 after winning 205 WTA points in Dubai.
Consequently, Eala has entered the seeded places for Grand Slam events for the first time in her career.
The 20-year-old will become the first Filipino player in history to achieve such a feat, strengthening her status as one of the most well-recognised figures in Filipino sports history.
With her ranking jump, Eala is set to overtake two former Grand Slam champions: Sofia Kenin and Marketa Vondrousova, who won the 2020 Australian Open and 2023 Wimbledon titles, respectively.
Eala is also set to overtake Sorana Cirstea, Sara Beljek and Elisabetta Cocciaretto, all of whom have won WTA titles this year.
| Player | Projected WTA ranking after Dubai |
| Xinyu Wang | 30 |
| Maria Sakkari | 31 |
| Alexandra Eala | 32 |
| Jaqueline Cristian | 33 |
| Mccartney Kessler | 34 |
| Loïs Boisson | 35 |
| Sorana Cîrstea | 36 |
| Janice Tjen | 37 |
| Janice Tjen | 38 |
| Ann Li | 39 |
| Marie Bouzková | 40 |
| Elisabetta Cocciaretto | 41 |
| Hailey Baptiste | 42 |
| Kateřina Siniaková | 43 |
| Sofia Kenin | 44 |
| Markéta Vondroušová | 45 |
| Tereza Valentová | 46 |
| Jéssica Bouzas Maneiro | 47 |
| Magda Linette | 48 |
| Dayana Yastremska | 49 |
| Barbora Krejčíková | 50 |
If Eala can maintain this ranking, she could be a seeded player for the first time at a Grand Slam event when the French Open rolls around in May.
Coco Gauff enters conversation alongside Martina Hingis and Maria Sharapova
As per OptaAce, since the Tier1/WTA-1000 format introduction in 1990, only Martina Hingis and Maria Sharapova have reached more semi-finals in such events before turning 22 than Coco Gauff.
Sharapova reached 15 WTA 1000 quarter-finals before the age of 22, while Gauff has made 13.
Hingis, who was a 12-time Grand Slam champion before the age of 19, made 33 WTA 1000 singles semi-finals before the age of 22.
Where will Coco Gauff be ranked at the end of 2026?
As mentioned previously, Gauff will face Elina Svitolina or Antonia Ruzic in the semi-finals. If Gauff defeats one of these players, she will play Jessica Pegula or Amanda Anisimova in the final.
In Thursday’s quarter-finals, Pegula defeated Clara Tauson and Anisimova beat Mirra Andreeva.
