The magical run of Alex Eala at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships continued on Wednesday as she defeated world No. 32 Sorana Cîrstea with a 7-5, 6-4 victory to barge into the quarterfinals.
This is her second final eight appearance in a WTA 1000 tournament, with her first coming in last year’s famous Miami Open run. It’s also a payback from Eala’s 3-6, 7-6, 4-6 defeat to the 35-year old veteran in the 2024 Mutua Madrid Open
Both players had moments of instability on serve in the opening set, but actual breaks were difficult to secure and proved decisive when they came. Eala struck first with a break in the third game, only for Cîrstea to respond immediately with a break of her own to level at 2-2.
From there, the set settled into a series of firm holds, with extended baseline exchanges and disciplined service games pushing the score to 5-5.
The 20-year old Filipina then elevated her return game in the 11th, applying pressure off second serves to earn her second break of the set. Serving for the opener, she stayed composed behind her first delivery and closed it out in the 12th game to seize the early advantage.
The biggest disparity for the first set was the unforced errors, where Cîrstea committed 30 of them compared to only Eala’s 19.
Eala carried her rhythm into the second set, racing to a 4-0 lead behind two clean breaks of Cîrstea’s serve. She dictated play off the return, stepping inside the baseline and forcing errors from the Romanian, who struggled to find consistency in longer rallies.
Cîrstea steadied herself with a hold in the fifth game and threatened in the 6th, earning two break-point chances. However, Eala leaned on her first serve and held firm to extend the margin to 5-1.
Refusing to fade, Cîrstea mounted a late push, breaking in the seventh and stringing together three straight games to trim the deficit to 5-4.
With the match tightening, Eala responded with a composed service game in the 10th. She landed her first serves, controlled the exchanges from the baseline, and closed out the victory with authority.
A much-awaited quarterfinal matchup awaits Eala, as she goes up against world No. 4 Coco Gauff of the United States — a clash between doubles partners at the 2025 Italian Open.
