WTA Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships Round-Up | Eala secures third top-10 win, Rybakina dominates as Badosa is forced to retire

The second WTA 1000 of the season continues at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, and the players advancing to the third round of the tournament have already been defined. Alexandra Eala claimed a remarkable victory over former champion Jasmine Paolini – her third top-10 victory of her career – while Elena Rybakina overcame her debut without trouble against Kimberly Birrell.

It was a day marked by player retirements and several matches that lasted only a few minutes. Amanda Anisimova and Mirra Andreeva are already in the third round without even stepping on court. Meanwhile, Elina Svitolina benefited from Paula Badosa’s injury during the match to secure a clash against Belinda Bencic – another player who advanced thanks to a retirement.

Jessica Pegula secured a convincing win in her return to the court – in her first tournament post-Australian Open. The world No. 5 faced Varvara Gracheva (No. 60) and began with an early break advantage. The Frenchwoman managed to break back minutes later and took the lead 4-3, but from that point Pegula was dominant and did not concede another game. Pegula won nine games in a row, taking advantage of her rival’s weak serving. It was an American triumph 6-4, 6-0, and she advances confidently to the second round.

Meanwhile, her compatriot, 18-year-old Iva Jovic, also confirmed her favoritism and claimed her second consecutive victory, defeating Dianna Shnaider (No. 21) in a rollercoaster match. The first set was close and decided by small details in favor of Jovic, who won three games in a row to take the lead 6-4. However, in the second set, the Russian was dominant, winning convincingly 6-1.

When things looked toughest for Jovic, she raised her level and swept her rival in the third set, delivering a bagel with six games in a row – Jovic won 76% of the points in the third set. Jovic and Pegula will meet in an all-American clash in the third round.

Another American returning to triumph in Dubai is world No. 3 Coco Gauff, who rebounded after a disappointing elimination in the Doha opener, defeating the tricky Anhelina Kalinskaya 6-4, 6-4. The two-time Grand Slam champion showed resilience to recover from difficult moments on court, first trailing with a break deficit in the opening set and again in the second.

Gauff demonstrated that she can maintain composure when coming from behind in the score and was the most determined to secure victory in straight sets. However, serving remains an issue for the American, totaling 12 double faults. She won only 56% of points on her first serve (72% of them) and 42% on the second. She was gritty in critical points – converting 6 of 9 break points in her favor while saving 7 of 11 chances from her rival. After one hour and 33 minutes, Gauff secured her victory and will face Elise Mertens in the Round of 16.

Retirements marked this round at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, with some players advancing to the third round without even stepping on court. This was the case for Belinda Bencic (No. 13) – 9th seed – who was supposed to face wildcard Sara Bjlek, a 20-year-old Czech who last week won her first title at the WTA 500 Abu Dhabi Open, but withdrew due to an abdominal muscle injury after an eight-match winning streak.

Mirra Andreeva (No. 7) was also benefited, and her Dubai debut will have to wait. She advanced past the first round with a bye as the 5th seed and now moves forward after her friend Daria Kasatkina withdrew, citing a right hip injury, following physical discomfort in her debut against Laura Siegemund, where she even requested a medical timeout.

Similarly, Amanda Anisimova (No. 4), after her first-round bye, did not need to play again as her rival – two-time Grand Slam champion Barbora Krejcikova – withdrew due to ongoing physical issues. Anisimova now advances to the third round without having stepped on court.

Another retirement in the round was Paula Badosa, who had started with a comfortable win against Katerina Siniakova, but could not finish her second-round match against Elina Svitolina. The Spaniard was leading 4-1, but physical issues forced her to call the physiotherapist. Svitolina recovered and won the next five games in a row to claim the set, at which point Badosa retired due to leg discomfort.

Elena Rybakina (No. 3) continues on the path to triumph in Dubai, overcoming Australian Kimberly Birrell (No. 94) without too many complications. The two-time major champion had an almost perfect start, taking two consecutive breaks to lead 5-0 – winning 20 of the first 23 points. Birrell improved her serving and held serve, but Rybakina closed the first set 6-1. The second set did not change much, with Rybakina again taking consecutive breaks to lead.

In the final part of the match, Birrell resisted defeat and produced her best tennis, though it was not enough to threaten Rybakina. The Kazakh maintained her service, and although the last game was tight, Rybakina sealed the victory on her second match point, 6-1, 6-2. She will face lucky loser Antonia Ruzic in the next round.

The day’s final match featured 2024 Dubai champion Jasmine Paolini (No. 8) against young Filipino Alexandra Eala (No. 47), which was a true spectacle from both players. The most focused from the start was 20-year-old Eala, who won five games in a row in the first set – being the absolute dominator – and took a commanding 6-1 lead.

Minutes later, Eala maintained her strong play in the second set, leading 3-1. Gradually, Paolini reacted, improving her play to get her first break at 3-3, although Eala quickly regained the advantage by breaking back.

From there, it became a rollercoaster: Eala squandered three match points while returning at 5-3, and then could not close with her own serve. Minutes later, Paolini led 6-5 and had a couple of set points on return but could not convert. In the tie-break, there were incredible rallies, with Eala emerging stronger from the baseline. Between several winners, she eventually claimed victory 6-1, 7-6(5), her third top-10 victory.