Alexandra Eala’s Dubai debut was a blast. The Filipino star qualified for the last 16 on Tuesday with a 6-1, 7-6(5) victory over eighth-ranked Jasmine Paolini, who withstood late pressure from the two-time Grand Slam finalist and former Dubai champion to save multiple match points and force a second-set tiebreak.
Ella held her own from then on and sealed the win, much to the delight of her fans in Dubai, who cheered the 20-year-old’s every move.
Ella is on the verge of setting a career-high ranking, with the win taking her WTA live ranking from No. 47 to No. 38. She will face Romania’s Sorana Cirstea in the round of 16. Sistia won the pair’s only meeting in straight sets in Madrid in 2024.
In her first race of the season against a top-10 player, Ella earned her third career top-10 win.
“All the emotions came because the tension was so high, especially in the second set,” Ella said in an on-court interview. “I’m really happy to advance. Obviously, (Paolini) is a great opponent, she’s a top-10 player here and a former champion, so being able to compete against her at this level is a great accomplishment for me.”
Ella dominated the first set, scoring 86% on first serve, and broke serve twice in a row, scoring 3-1 and 5-1. She twice took a break lead in the second set, only to be clawed back by Paolini, who saved three match points at 3-5 on serve and broke in the next game.
After holding serve for two games and entering the tie-break, Ella took the initiative after falling behind 2-3 and scored five of the seven points to end the victory.
Alexandra Ella, so far:
- The first Filipino Grand Slam junior singles champion: Ella made history at the 2022 U.S. Open by becoming the first Filipino player to win a junior Grand Slam singles title.
- Highest-ranked Filipinos in history: As of February 2026, she has reached a career-high world ranking of No. 40 (currently ranked No. 38 in real time), breaking the long-standing record of Cecil Mamet (No. 72) and becoming the highest-ranked Filipino player in history.
- First Filipino to reach WTA 1000 semi-finals: Her Cinderella performance at the 2025 Miami Open saw her become the first player from her country to reach the semi-finals of a WTA 1000 event, defeating Grand Slam champions Iga Świątek, Jelena Ostapenko and Madison Keys in the process.
- The first Filipino to win a Grand Slam main draw draw: At the 2025 US Open, Ella defeated No. 14 seed Clara Towson in three thrilling sets, becoming the first Filipino player in the Open era to win a match in a Grand Slam main draw.
