Alexandra “Alex” Eala turned disappointment into renewed momentum, powering her way into the doubles semifinals of the Abu Dhabi Open and giving Filipino fans another reason to celebrate on the WTA stage.
Teaming up with Indonesia’s Janice Tjen, Eala delivered a composed and confident performance to upset second seeds Cristina Bucsa and Zhang Shuai, 6-3, 6-3, on Friday morning at the Zayed Sports City International Tennis Centre in the United Arab Emirates.
The straight-sets victory booked the duo a spot in the semifinals of the WTA 500 tournament and underscored Eala’s growing versatility and resilience.
The win came less than a day after Eala bowed out of the singles quarterfinals, a reminder of her ability to reset quickly and compete with clarity on the sport’s demanding schedule. Against a higher-seeded and more experienced pairing, Eala and Tjen stayed aggressive at the net, protected their service games, and applied steady pressure to seize control early and never let go.
Standing between them and a finals berth are fourth seeds Tereza Mihalikova and Olivia Nicholls, who advanced after a hard-fought win over Andreja Klepac and Irina Khromacheva, 5-7, 7-6 (5), 10-8. It sets up another stern test, but one Eala and Tjen will meet with confidence after toppling one of the tournament favorites.
Eala’s singles campaign earlier ended at the hands of world No. 11 Ekaterina Alexandrova, who prevailed 6-3, 6-3 in the quarterfinals.
Alexandrova continued her strong run by setting up a semifinal clash against American Hailey Baptiste, who stunned fifth seed Ludmila Samsonova in three sets. Baptiste had earlier ousted fourth seed Emma Navarro to reach the last eight.
Elsewhere in the singles draw, third seed Clara Tauson advanced with a 6-3, 6-4 win over McCartney Kessler and will face Czech teenager Sara Bejlek in the semifinals. Bejlek cruised past Sonay Kartal, 6-0, 6-2, continuing a breakout run that included a second-round upset of Jelena Ostapenko.
In the other doubles semifinal, Alexandrova paired with Australia’s Maya Joint to beat third seeds Ellen Perez and Demi Schuurs, 6-4, 6-1. They will take on Americans Sofia Kenin and Desirae Krawczyk, who advanced via walkover.
For Eala, the Abu Dhabi Open has once again become a stage for grit and growth.
While the singles dream ended earlier than hoped, her doubles surge carries a familiar message for Filipino supporters watching from home: the fight goes on, the belief remains strong, and a Filipina is still very much alive deep into a major WTA tournament.