Alexandra Eala applauded Coco Gauff for who she is as a person and a player ahead of their Dubai encounter and noted that she was excited over facing the two-time Grand Slam champion.
The Filipina, ranked at No. 47 in the world, is having quite a week at the WTA 1000 tournament in Dubai after beating top-10 player Jasmine Paolini and also overcoming recent Cluj-Napoca champion Sorana Cirstea to reach the quarterfinal in her tournament debut.
Next up for Eala will be a career-first meeting against Gauff. When the 20-year-old takes on the 21-year-old American on the hard courts of Dubai, it will mark their first meeting.
Eala: Gauff is such an amazing person and a great role model for so many
“If I continue like this, the next match will be great. I’m looking forward to it. Coco is such an amazing person. We tend to forget that she’s just a year older than me. She’s a great role model for so many," the world No. 47 said when addressing facing the reigning French Open champion.
Throughout the entire week, Eala has been enjoying a strong support in Dubai, mostly from the Filipino diaspora. And after beating Cirstea 7-5 6-4, she made sure to give credit to her supporters.
“The waves of support have really made every single match all the more special. It’s so difficult to describe the emotions and the experience of playing in front of this crowd – I’m really grateful to be here," the Filipina said.
Since Eala has strong support and Gauff's matches also draw crowds, it is safe to say that the stands in Dubai will be packed when the two young stars take to the court for their quarterfinal match.
If Eala upsets Gauff, she will record her fourth top-10 win – the 20-year-old previously registered two top-10 wins en route to making the Miami Open semifinal last year before also beating Paolini this week.
