Filipino tennis standout Alex Eala is taking time to regroup after her 6-0, 6-2 loss to Coco Gauff in the quarterfinals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
The 18-year-old acknowledged the gap between herself and elite players, saying she plans to use the break for “reassessment, regrouping and taking a small break to build again.”
Eala’s rise in women’s tennis has already attracted significant attention. Filipino fans have packed venues to watch her play, prompting organizers to offer her wild card entries into tournaments where she isn’t an automatic qualifier. Even Gauff praised Eala for bringing “a new demographic to the sport.”
Currently ranked No. 47 in the world, Eala has already scored high-profile wins, including a victory over former No. 1 Iga Swiatek at the Miami Open last year. She will have about two weeks to recuperate before competing at the Indian Wells Open in the United States, aiming to inch closer to the top of the women’s rankings.