Alexandra Eala’s star continues to rise. On Tuesday night in Dubai, she earned one of the biggest wins of her career, defeating World No. 8 and former champion Jasmine Paolini 6-1, 7-6 (5) in 1 hour and 40 minutes.
She converted her fifth match point in a tense second-set tiebreak to close out the victory.
As has become customary wherever she plays, Eala drew a large, vocal Filipino crowd to Center Court, and she rewarded them with an inspired performance. The 20-year-old collected her third Top 10 win at the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz level, and her first since last year’s miraculous Miami semifinal run that put her on the map. The win also sends her to the Round of 16 at a WTA 1000 event for the first time since Miami.
“All the emotions are coming because the tension was so high, especially during that second set,” Eala said in her on-court interview. “So I’m really happy to have gotten through. (Paolini) is a great opponent, obviously, being Top 10 and a former champion here, so to be able to compete with her at this level is a great achievement for me.
“In the tiebreak, I was trying everything to keep myself in check. At the change of ends, I was thinking, you know, this stadium is full of Filipinos. I thought, ‘How many of them are probably praying for me to win?’ So I really had to give everything I got.”
Not known for her serving credentials, Eala was dominant on serve in the opening set. She landed 67% of her first serves and won a robust 86% of those points. She added a 57% mark on second-serve points and did not face a single break point in the set.
For a fleeting moment in the second set, it appeared as if Eala might win going away after breaking for a 2-1 lead. But Paolini got back on serve at 3-3, and after Eala again went up a break at 4-3, the Italian saved three match points to hold for 5-4. She then broke Eala as she served for the match to level at 5-all.
After all that, Eala still had to fend off two set points before holding serve and sending the set into a tiebreak.
“I tried to remind myself that I was doing well,” Eala said of her mindset in her post-match press conference. “I have to watch it again, but I don’t think I did anything disastrous during those moments, and she earned those points.
“Every time the opportunity arose, I tried my best to be brave and go for my ball.”
The breaker featured some of the highest-quality tennis of the night. Each of the first eight points ended with a winner, leaving the two deadlocked at 4-4. But a slight dip from Paolini opened the door for two more match points, and Eala struck a forehand winner on the latter to seal the upset.
What followed was a full-on “Filipino frenzy,” as chants of “Ale, Ale, Ale,” rained down from the stands, the fans doing everything in their power to ensure their hero heard their cries.
