Alexandra Eala advanced to the Dubai Tennis Championships second round after defeating Hailey Baptiste on Sunday.
At 6-4, 0-1, Baptiste was forced to retire from the match due to an abdominal injury, ending the American’s chances of advancing in Dubai.
After the match, Eala wished her opponent well before expressing her delight at advancing to the second round.
What does Alexandra Eala need to improve in 2026 to challenge for a Grand Slam title?
On Tuesday, the Filipina will walk out onto court with Jasmine Paolini – the sixth seed and two-time Grand Slam finalist.
Eala is most certainly the underdog heading into the match. However, there are a few factors at play that may help the 20-year-old upset the odds.
Eala’s left-handed play could help her beat Jasmine Paolini
As a natural left-handed player, Eala is able to use her forehand to target Paolini’s backhand in cross-court exchanges.
With her flat forehand shot suiting the hardcourts, Paolini may struggle to neutralise the Filipina’s power, disrupting the Italian’s rhythm and preventing her from dictating play using her topspin game off both wings.
By targeting Paolini’s backhand with her forehand, Eala can drag Paolini wide and stretch the court, giving the 20-year-old opportunity to open up space down-the-line.
Of course, being left-handed means Paolini could dictate cross-court forehand-to-backhand rallies. This is something Eala must prevent if she is to defeat the 29-year-old Italian.
Jasmine Paolini’s poor form
Paolini has not started the 2026 season in the best form.
The Italian won one of her two matches at the United Cup – defeated by Belinda Bencic – before being knocked out of the Australian Open in the third round.
In Melbourne, Paolini defeated Aliksandra Sasnovich and Magdalena Frech before losing to 29th seed Iva Jovic 2-6, 7-6.
| Tournament | Opponent | Score |
| United Cup | Belinda Bencic | 4-6, 3-6 |
| Leolia Jeanjean | 6-2, 6-3 | |
| Australian Open | Aliksandra Sasnovich | 6-1, 6-2 |
| Magdalena Frech | 6-2, 6-3 | |
| Iva Jovic | 2-6, 7-6 | |
| Qatar Open | Maria Sakkari | 4-6, 2-6 |
Paolini’s woes continued in Qatar last week – she lost her opening match to Maria Sakkari, who went on to reach the final.
Simply put: Paolini is not in good form, and Eala could take advantage.
Eala can take advantage of Paolini’s serve
While Jasmine Paolini certainly does not have a bad serve by any stretch of the imagination, it is certainly not the best on the WTA Tour.
Paolini is not someone who will hit a lot of aces, giving Eala an opportunity to capitalise.
One of the strengths of Paolini’s serve is her accuracy and ability to find her spots in the biggest moments. However, Eala has excellent movement and anticipation off the return, meaning she should have openings when receiving.
Eala must impose her will on this area of Paolini’s game, especially as her own serve will be targeted by the Italian.
One more key reason… the crowd
Eala will undoubtedly have the majority of the crowd support when she steps onto court to play Paolini on Tuesday.
Eala’s presence has resulted in unprecedented fan turnouts at tournaments this year, as demonstrated by the Australian Open’s record-setting opening Monday.
This was no different during Eala’s opening match against Hailey Baptiste in Dubai. The crowd were euphoric throughout, bursting into applause and cheering every time Eala won a point.
Eala may be the most popular player on the Tour currently, and her fans could certainly play their part when the Filipina plays Paolini on Tuesday.
