Filipino Fans rally as Eala advances at Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship

After weeks of city-wide hype and dramatic build-up, women’s week at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship burst into life on opening day as two ‘home’ favourites progressed to the second-round of the WTA 1000 event despite wildly contrasting experiences on Centre Court inside the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium.

With two players much-loved by Dubai’s passionate Filipino community attracting a near-capacity crowd on Sunday evening, rising star Alexandra Eala – still only 20-years-old and already the highest-ranked Filipino in WTA history at World No40 – lined up against powerful American Hailey Baptiste, the World No39.

Baptiste, having qualified for the match as a Lucky Loser after falling to Slovakia’s Rebecca Sramkova in Saturday’s final qualifiers, she nonetheless cut an imposing figure when compared to the diminutive Eala, who is four years her junior and making her Dubai debut.

Yet with every corner of Centre Court transformed into the red, white, and blue of the Philippines flag, Eala immediately tapped into the stadium’s energy with an array of crowd-pleasing winners as she railed against Baptiste’s power advantage. After trading breaks early on, Eala buzzed around court inspired by an electric crowd and stole the momentum with a break of serve before nervelessly holding to seal the set 6-4.

Bapiste valiantly held serve in the opening game of the second set before Elea suddenly found herself flung into the second-round – she will face World No8 and sixth seed in Dubai - after the stricken American retired with a left abdominal injury. An expectant crowd was stunned and fell silent, but noise levels soared back to deafening as the victor addressed Centre Court.

“No-one likes advancing in this way,” she said. “Being on Tour, I am starting to discover how difficult it is to maintain your health physically. I’m really hoping that Hailey will bounce back soon.”

Turning her attention and affections to her adoring fans, Eala added: “I’m super happy to be in the next round. This tournament is serving up such great experiences for me, especially playing in front of the best crowd ever. Hello everyone, hello Kabayans! I’m very happy to advance to the next round.”

 Earlier in the afternoon, Canada’s Leylah Fernandez, the World No27, and Russia’s Liudmila Samsonova, ranked 10 places higher at World No17, played out an epic three-set showdown that lasted close to three hours.

After a tense first set in which Samsonova eventually prevailed 7-5, Fernandez – who boasts Filipino heritage – battled back in a knife-edge second set. The 23-year-old unleashed a series of immaculate winners to sail into a 5-2 lead, before a resurgent Samsonova won three consecutive games to wrestle back momentum and level the set at 5-5. The Russian’s mini comeback flattered to deceive however, as Fernandez held her serve and then immediately broke serve to clinch the set 7-5 and force a deciding set.

With Fernandez moving into a 2-0 lead in the early throes of the third set, Samsonova suddenly found herself holding two break points and a chance to regain her match footing. Fernandez, buoyed by a partisan crowd that revelled in celebrating her Filipino descent, dug deep. Occasionally scurrying and battling to stay in points, she produced winners under pressure and benefited hugely as Samsonova’s unforced errors tallied up.

 Brimming with confidence now, Fernandez surged into a seemingly unassailable 5-0 lead in the third set, only for never-say-die Samsonova to hit back with three quick games in a row. Serving for the match for a second time, Fernandez – who represents Canada – regained her composure to hold serve and eliminate the 13th seed.

After signing dozens of autographs on caps, T-shirts, balls, souvenir programmes, and anything frenzied fans could find for a signature, Fernandez was quick to acknowledge the acclaim she received from crowds on Centre Court and all around the tournament’s Tennis Village.

“It definitely felt different tonight,” said the World No27. “I remember the past couple of years I’ve played day matches, sometimes first on, so there weren't a lot of fans. Today, there were a lot more and to see so many fans come watch women’s tennis means a lot, it shows the sport is growing, so I’m very happy."

When asked if she feels a type of ‘home’ advantage in Dubai, she added: “Yeah, actually – kind of. It does feel nice because you kind of feel at home. It helps a lot. Sometimes when you’re travelling so much you forget why you play tennis and fans always help you to remember. To feel that warmth, that love, and the passion that they have is a lot of fun.”

The final match of the night under the bright lights of Centre Court saw the Czech Republic’s Sara Bejlek, ranked No38 in the world, require only 75 minutes to record a 6-2, 6-2 dismantling of Turkey’s Zeynep Sonmez.