Rising tennis star Alexandra Eala found herself at the center of an unexpected off-court moment ahead of her much-anticipated clash with American sensation Coco Gauff at the Dubai Tennis Championships.
Alexandra Eala, on her debut run at the Dubai Open, has made the quarterfinals. In front of roaring Filipino fans, Eala eliminated Sorana Cirstea 7-5, 6-4 to reach the quarterfinals of a WTA 1000 tournament for the second time in her career.
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Eala, since her run to the semifinals of last year’s Miami Open, has become quite a popular figure on the WTA tour. So unsurprisingly, she has started receiving marriage proposals from the fans.
After her third-round win, when Eala was preparing to leave the court, a tournament staff member asked her to turn toward the stands where a woman held a board with this message: “Alex! Marry my son please!” When the 20-year-old noticed it, she smiled and wagged her finger, rejecting the marriage proposal as the woman laughed.
Watch the video here:
Alex Eala’s reaction to a sign in the crowd after her win over Cirstea in Dubai
“Alex marry my son please”
Alex with the finger wag ☝️
😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/oEzzeHeXyS
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) February 18, 2026
En route to the quarterfinals, Eala knocked out two-time Grand Slam singles finalist Jasmine Paolini in the round of 32. Prior to the Dubai event, Eala lost to Tereza Valentova in her debut match at the Qatar Open.
Eala has so far made one tour-level final. She made the title clash of last year’s Eastbourne International, losing the match to Maya Joint.
In last year’s Miami Open, Eala knocked out former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, 2025 Australian Open champion Madison Keys, and six-time Grand Slam winner Iga Swiatek to reach the semifinals, where eventual runner-up Jessica Pegula knocked her out. Her run made her the first player from the Philippines to reach the last four of a WTA 1000 event.
Alexandra Eala is set to lock horns with Coco Gauff
Alexandra Eala is expecting nothing but a tough challenge in her quarterfinal Dubai Open match, as she will be up against none other than Coco Gauff. They will be meeting for the first time on the tour.
Coco Gauff (via X/Jose Morgado)
Coco Gauff (via X/Jose Morgado)
Every round is such a battle and so filled with tension, so I’m really happy with how I performed and really happy to be able to share it with all of you. The key to today was staying calm and trusting my shots. I think I was very solid in particular moments where I needed to be. So yeah, that reflected in my performance and in the score, I guess.
Alexandra Eala said during her on-court interview
Before scheduling the match against Eala, Gauff came from a set down and saved three match points to knock out Elise Mertens. Gauff will be playing the last eight of the Dubai event for the fourth time in her career.
Yeah, I think it’s a great opportunity for me [to play Gauff]. Win or lose tomorrow, I think it’s great for me to learn. Obviously, facing a player like Coco is something that people, like, would kill to do. In a quarterfinal here in Dubai, as well. So I’m super excited for that.
Alexandra Eala said at the press conference
Gauff is chasing her fourth WTA 1000 title, having won at this level in 2023 (Cincinnati Open), 2024 (China Open), and 2025 (Wuhan Open). She also made two more finals: at the 2024 Madrid Open and the Italian Open the same year.
Last year, Gauff reached four singles finals, losing the two aforementioned WTA 1000 events on clay and winning in Wuhan and her career’s second Grand Slam singles title at the French Open by defeating World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka, who withdrew from both the Qatar Open and the Dubai Open this year.
Before Dubai, Gauff played the Qatar Open, where Elisabetta Cocciaretto knocked her out in the opening round. At the Australian Open, Gauff’s campaign ended in the semifinals with a straight-set defeat at the hands of Elina Svitolina.
