Alexandra Eala’s fairytale run in Dubai came to an end yesterday, as she was defeated by Coco Gauff in straight sets.
It was a heavy defeat for the youngster, who was run ragged for large parts of the match. The gulf in quality between the two players served as a stark reminder of just how far she is from the true elite level on the WTA Tour.
However, it has still been a week of great progress, claiming crucial additional ranking points while lighting up another tournament with her infectious enthusiasm and wild support.
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?
Coco Gauff couldn’t have been more complimentary of Alexandra Eala both before and after the match, and the two would take to Instagram to emphasise the great mutual respect shared between these two supremely popular individuals.
Alexandra Eala and Coco Gauff exchange messages on social media
It was Eala who first took to social media, posting an Instagram story which pictured them hugging at the net following the conclusion of yesterday’s match.
Attached was the following message, which read: “Congrats @cocogauff. Love sharing the court with you, always learn a lot”.
The American would then repost this to her own story, simply adding the word ‘star’.
Eala would later add, in an actual post: “Three weeks of fighting with love and pride has come to an end here in Dubai. The competition, the atmosphere, the hospitality, and the full-blown support has made these weeks ones I’ll never forget! Thank you.”
Despite her defeat, Eala is set to reach a career-high ranking after her run in Dubai.
Alexandra Eala’s record against top ten opponents
All the talk before Eala’s match with Gauff surrounded her fine record against top-ten opponents.
And, whilst she has lost to her latest one, it has not dented her impressive run of form against the world’s elite.
Unsurprisingly, her first couple of wins against players of this magnitude came last year in Miami, as she stormed into the semi-finals.
What does Alexandra Eala need to improve in 2026 to challenge for a Grand Slam title?
She beat Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek on her way to that stage, before narrowly losing to Jessica Pegula. This gave her a positive 2-1 record, although Swiatek would exact revenge over Eala in Madrid later that year, thus levelling things at 2 wins and 2 losses.
The Filipina superstar picked things back up here in Dubai though, toppling Jasmine Paolini to tip the scales back in her favour before Gauff’s recent win means Eala now boasts a 3-3 record against top ten opponents.
