Alexandra Eala rallied from a 4-0 deficit in the third set Wednesday night to defeat Aliaksandra Sasnovich 2–6, 6–4, 7–6 (5) and advance to the quarterfinals of the Abu Dhabi WTA tournament. The nearly three-hour match on Stadium Court drew a raucous, pro-Filipino crowd that witnessed the 20-year-old’s resilience up close.
Eala dropped the first set but broke in the final game of the second to force a decider. Facing a match point and trailing 4-0 in the third, she refused to back down, saving the break points and storming back to claim the win.
“These moments are moments I only have dreamed about,” Eala said during her on-court interview. “Selling out stadiums is insane, and being in these matches in particular is 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.”
The victory marks Eala’s fifth career quarterfinal at the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz level. She will face No. 2 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in their first career meeting.
Comeback from the brink
Sasnovich dominated early, winning the first set 6–2 and opening the second with another break. She dropped just six points on serve in the opening set and faced no break points. But Eala turned the tide in the second set, generating 11 break points and capitalizing on 19 unforced errors from the 31-year-old Belarusian.
The third set appeared out of reach when Sasnovich surged to a 4-0 lead in just 17 minutes. Eala faced multiple match points but clawed her way back, holding her nerve in a tense tiebreak to secure the win.
“I really tried my best in those moments to fight,” Eala said. “I really tried to find the fight. And in the end, I think when I was coming back, I was able to find it. So I’m really proud of that.”
Despite winning 10 fewer points overall (121-111) and trailing in several key statistics, Eala’s tenacity carried her through.
Quarterfinals await
Eala now meets Alexandrova, who advanced with a commanding 6–1, 6–2 victory over Dayana Yastremska. Alexandrova, known for her powerful serve, dismantled Yastremska’s service games, winning more than 64 percent of first-serve points and converting six of nine break points.
The 26-year-old Russian enters as the highest seed remaining after defending champion and No. 1 seed Belinda Bencic withdrew due to illness, guaranteeing Alexandrova a return to the Top 10 regardless of her results this week.
Eala, who continues to make history for the Philippines on the WTA Tour, will look to extend her remarkable run in Abu Dhabi on Thursday. WTA/FROM THE WIRES