Alex Eala faces a major test as she takes on world No. 8 Jasmine Paolini of Italy in the Round of 32 of the women’s singles of the Dubai Tennis Championships at the Aviation Club Tennis Centre on Tuesday.

It will be the first time for both the world No. 47 Eala and No. 8 Paolini to collide in a singles match in any Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) tournament.

The 20-year-old Eala got a lucky break in the Round of 64 last Monday when she won over Hailey Baptiste of the United States via walkover.

With the final score being 6-4, 0-1, Eala admitted she would have wanted to go the distance against Baptiste.

“Obviously, no one likes advancing in this way, and being on the WTA Tour, I’m starting to discover at this level how difficult it is to maintain your health physically,” Eala said.

“I really hope that Hailey is okay and will bounce back soon.”

Playing in front of a loud Filipino crowd in Dubai, Eala is thrilled to once again play in a jampacked stadium in her third WTA tournament in the Middle East after joining the Abu Dhabi Open and the Qatar Open.

“I’m super happy to be in the next round. These tournaments are such great experiences for me, you know, especially playing in front of the best crowd ever,” said Eala, who is supported by a massive Filipino crowd composed of expatriates and overseas workers.

“I’m really doing my best to try to enjoy every moment I have on court.”

Even Paolini, who reached the final of the French Open and Wimbledon Championships in 2024, was impressed with Eala’s rise to fame after her breakthrough performance in the Miami Open last year.

“Somebody like Alexandra Eala, it’s a huge thing for tennis. I think it’s great to have many, many fans also coming to tournaments where usually there are fewer people,” Paolini said.

“Like Abu Dhabi was full of people watching Eala. I also remember the first match in Doha, you could hear from outside the court people cheering for her.”

Taking down the 30-year-old Paolini, however, will be easier said than done.

For one, the Italian netter ruled this prestigious WTA tournament in 2024 after a hard-fought 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 victory over Anna Kalinskaya of Russia.

Paolini also won last year’s Italian Open, after beating world No. 4 Coco Gauff of the United States, 6-4, 7-5, making her another challenge Eala needs to overcome aside from world No. 3 Elina Bakina of Kazakhstan, No. 12 Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia and No. 14 Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic.