IN the second round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, Alex Eala finds herself up against a former champion in Jasmine Paolini of Italy, who lifted the Dubai trophy two years ago.
Fresh off a 6-4, 0-1 win over Hailey Baptiste, who retired due to an abdominal issue, the 20-year-old World No. 40 now faces World No. 8 Paolini, tournament sixth seed, for the first time in her career.
The 30-year-old Italian owns three singles and 10 doubles titles and received a first-round bye, making her second-round clash with Eala her opening match in this year’s WTA 1000 event.
READ: Alex Eala marches on to Round of 32 in Dubai as Baptiste retires
They are set to meet Tuesday (Manila time), with the exact order of play yet to be announced.
Last year, Paolini made a round of 16 exit losing her chances after defeat from Sofia Kenin.
Paolini adds to Eala’s growing list of Top 20 opponents in her young career.
The Filipina has previously crossed paths with the likes of Iga Swiatek (holding a 1-1 head-to-head), Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff, Elina Svitolina, Victoria Mboko, Ekaterina Alexandrova, Clara Tauson, and Madison Keys, among others.
Dubai marks Eala’s sixth tournament of the 2026 season as she continues her hunt for a maiden WTA Tour title.
Earlier this year, she competed in the Qatar TotalEnergies Open, Abu Dhabi Open, Philippine Women's Open, Australian Open, and ASB Classic.
So far, her lone pro title remains the WTA 125 crown that she captured in Guadalajara.
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