Alex Eala Ends Singles Run At The Abu Dhabi Open—Here's How She Did In The Competition

Ups and downs are inevitable in sports, and the possibility of losing is always part of the journey. At the recent Abu Dhabi Open held at the International Tennis Centre in Zayed Sports City, Alex Eala showcased her game with enthusiasm and discipline, navigating both victories and defeats throughout the competition.

Facing Zeynap Sonmez from Turkiye, Alex opened her campaign with a solid 6–4, 6–3 victory. The real test, however, came against Aliaksandra Sasnovich, a former WTA No. 29, where Alex showed that it is never over until the final ball is struck.

The encounter lasted two hours and 51 minutes, with Alex dropping the opening set, 2–6. She regrouped in the second, battling back for a 6–4 win, before holding her nerve in a tense third set tiebreak to close out the match, 7–6(5), and secure her place in the Abu Dhabi Open quarterfinals.

"Grabe! Napasubok talaga yung tibay ng dibdib ko at sigurado ako na kayo din kaya congrats mga kababayan. Maraming salamat po," Alex expressed during her on-court interview. 

"These moments are moments I only have dreamed about. Selling out stadiums is insane and being in these matches in particular are just really the ones that kind of stick with you. And I've had a lot of them in the past year, so I'm really happy with this win," she added.

Pulling off the comeback under immense pressure was no easy feat for Alex, who acknowledged how much her opponent stepped up during the match. "I think she started really well in the tight moments. I think she also stepped up, especially with the serve and a lot of winners."

Despite the challenge, Alex stayed locked in and leaned on her fighting spirit. "I really tried my best in those moments to fight. I really tried to find the fight. And in the end, when I was coming back, I was able to find it, so I'm really proud of that. And, once again, the crowd is very proud of that fight as well," she added.

However, Alex bowed out in the quarterfinals after falling to Ekaterina Alexandrova, who just made her Top 10 debut last October, the highest singles ranking of her career. Ekaterina, the tournament's No. 2 seed, sealed the win in straight sets, 6–3, 6–3.

She may have ended her stint at the singles, but Alex is still in contention for the competition's doubles tournament alongside her partner Janice Tjen from Indonesia.