Coco Gauff and Alexandra Eala are set for an almighty clash at the Dubai Tennis Championships.
On Wednesday, Gauff booked her place in the Dubai quarter-finals after defeating Elise Mertens 2-6, 7-6, 6-3.
Gauff was somewhat fortunate to come through the contest, saving three match points before securing victory.
Later on Wednesday, Alexandra Eala joined Gauff in the last eight after beating Sorana Cirstea 7-6, 6-4.
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Iga Swiatek in Miami, Clara Tauson at the US Open, Jasmine Paolini in Dubai, or a different match?
Thursday’s match will not be the first time the pair have met on the WTA Tour. A year ago, the pair played doubles together at the Italian Open.
Alexandra Eala is still managing to handle the attention she receives
After Gauff won her third-round match at the 2025 Italian Open, she revealed that it was Eala who had asked the American to play doubles.
As a follow-up question, one journalist asked Gauff: “Alex [Eala] has had so much attention on her the last couple of weeks. How much does that sort of remind you of what you went through when you joined the tour?”
Gauff replied: “She seems to be handling it super well. There are ups and downs in the sport, but you realize that the media is there to kind of paint that story and make it more interesting, but that shouldn’t be added pressure or anything like that.
“She seems chill. She seems like she’s working hard, so I don’t have any advice for her just because she seems relaxed.
“The only thing I did tell her was that doubles helped me a lot in that space, having some time on court where it’s a little less stressful. So, I encouraged her to play when she could.”
Gauff’s comments still ring true to this day.
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Eala has become one of the most popular tennis players on the planet, with fans flooding to her matches no matter where she is in the world.
And yet, the Filipina is still handling the pressure exceptionally, taking the fanfare in her stride and embracing it, rather than shrivelling under the weight of being one of the world’s most talked about players.
As for Gauff and Eala’s performance in Rome, they reached the quarter-finals before losing to Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani.
| Round | Opponents | Score |
| R32 | Alexandra Panowa and Fanny Stollar | 6-3, 6-1 |
| R16 | Tyra Caterina Grant and Lisa Pigato | 6-2, 6-3 |
| Quarter-finals | Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani | 5-7, 6-3, 7-10 |
Eala’s huge opportunity against Gauff
With Coco Gauff’s form inconsistent to say the least, Alex Eala has a major opportunity to reach her second WTA 1000 semi-final.
While Eala has been consistent throughout the week, Gauff has been somewhat fortunate to reach the last eight in Dubai.
You only have to look at Gauff’s statistics against Elise Mertens to understand why: the American served 16 double faults and made only 43 per cent of her first serves.
Comparatively, Eala has performed well on serve throughout the week and has maintained consistency on her groundstrokes that will serve her well against Gauff.
While Gauff has struggled on serve, she remains the most dogged player on the WTA Tour: a player who will fight and scrap for every single ball.
Eala will need to maintain her groundstroke consistency if she is to defeat Gauff: that will be the key to Thursday’s contest.
