In a city that loves a late-night spectacle, Alex Eala delivered prime-time drama with extra spice.
Under the lights in Dubai, the 20-year-old Filipina stunned World No. 8 Jasmine Paolini, 6-1, 7-6, at the Dubai International Tennis Championships. Seedings said uphill climb. Eala brought hiking boots and a jetpack.
Ranked down to No. 47 from 40 after a recent dip, Eala played like someone unimpressed by numbers. The first set was brisk and borderline ruthless. After an early exchange of points, she peeled off five straight games, bossing the baseline and turning Paolini’s pace into practice drills. The Italian barely had time to blink before the set was gone, 6-1.
The second set, however, decided to audition for a thriller. Paolini recalibrated, stretching rallies and forcing Eala to defend. At 5-3, Eala stood one point from victory. The handshake nearly materialized in her imagination. Tennis, mischievous as ever, had other plans.
Paolini broke back and edged ahead 6-5. The crowd tensed. Filipino flags waved harder. One courtside sign offered both motivation and menu suggestion. “Alex, may pansit sa bahay.”
With the clock passing 10:00 p.m. Tuesday in Dubai, about 2:00 a.m. Wednesday for bleary-eyed fans in Manila, Eala discovered a hidden reserve. She chased down everything in sight, cracked her forehand with renewed bite, and dragged the match into a tiebreak by sheer force of will, snatching back control just as it began to slip through her fingers.
She closed it out minutes later, cool as the desert night and twice as composed, then promptly melted into her hands, eyes glistening as if to personally thank Lady Victory for finally picking up her call.
Next comes Romania’s Sorana Cirstea, 35, ranked No. 32, owner of a career-high top-20 mark and a résumé that includes deep Grand Slam runs and more than a few giant slayings of her own. The Romanian brings veteran savvy, heavy groundstrokes, and zero interest in fairy tales.
The match is expected to unfold late again in Dubai, which means another past-midnight vigil in Manila. Coffee sales may spike. Pancit supplies should be secured. Eala, apparently, prefers her wins al dente.
