WTA Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships Round-Up | Alexandra Eala makes winning debut, Fernandez survives epic three-set battle

The first round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships began with several big names of the Tour making their debuts. World No. 40 Alexandra Eala advanced to the second round after her opponent retired, marking her first time competing in the second WTA 1000 of the year.

It was also a day for the return of two-time Grand Slam champion Barbora Krejcikova, who defeated veteran Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in straight sets — a repeat of the 2021 Roland Garros final where the Czech lifted her first major title. Additionally, Leylah Fernandez returned to victory against the always challenging Lidumila Samsonova.

Alexandra Eala (No. 40) advanced to the second round after just one hour on court against American Hailey Baptiste (No. 39). The Filipino took the lead in the first set, but Baptiste could not finish the match and retired at the start of the second set — after only one game was played. The score was 6-4, 0-1 in favor of Eala, who moves on to the second round in her first appearance in Dubai.

The first set was solid for the 20-year-old, who had a 70% first-serve percentage, winning 71% of those points. Eala is beginning to show more consistency on serve — a good sign if she hopes to make further leaps on the Tour and improve her ranking. She converted two breaks out of three opportunities, while Baptiste only secured one mid-set. Eala held her service and closed the set 6-4.

There is little to say about the second set: Baptiste retired. On court, she struggled to hold her first service game, and physical issues forced her to withdraw during the changeover. Eala secured her passage to the second round, where she will face sixth seed Jasmine Paolini — her first top-10 challenge of the season.

Two-time Grand Slam champion Barbora Krejcikova, who has been troubled by injuries since last year and fell sharply in the rankings — currently world No. 53 — faced an old acquaintance in Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (No. 110), with whom she had only one previous encounter: the 2021 French Open final, which Krejcikova won in three sets.

Almost five years since their major final, Krejcikova’s debut in Dubai was favorable. The 29-year-old Czech took the lead as early as the third game of the first set. Both players showed consistency on serve — Pavlyuchenkova winning 80% of first-serve points, against 82% for Krejcikova. Neither faced break points, and the former world No. 2 closed the set with her service, 6-4.

In the second set, little changed. Pavlyuchenkova created a slight threat early on but could not capitalize. Krejcikova took the lead in the third game and, despite struggling to hold serve — saving multiple break points — maintained her advantage for the remainder of the set. At 5-3, Krejcikova squandered four match points on the return but completed the task on her next service game. The 2023 Dubai champion advances to a complicated second round, where she will face world No. 4 Amanda Anisimova.

Leylah Fernandez (No. 27) did not enter Dubai in the best form — with only one win and five losses before arriving. This time, she secured her best victory of the year — and the first against a top-20 player since winning the DC Open in August 2025. Her rival was the challenging Lidumila Samsonova (No. 17), whom she defeated in three sets, 5-7, 7-5, 6-3.

In the first set, both players had multiple opportunities, but neither could convert. The set remained even until 5-4 in Fernandez’s favor, when Samsonova showed her class at crucial moments, breaking late and taking three games in a row to claim the set 7-5.

Fernandez responded in the second set, overcoming difficulties in her service games. When Samsonova seemed to gain an advantage, Fernandez broke on her first opportunity and took a 5-2 lead. Samsonova recovered to level 5-5, but could not hold serve later, and Fernandez won the set 7-5.

The decisive set saw the 2021 US Open runner-up dominate critical points, saving four break points and converting two of three opportunities. She raced to a 5-0 lead, faced some challenges, but ultimately closed the match 5-7, 7-5, 6-3. In the second round, she will face Indonesian Janice Tjen — the same player who eliminated her in the first round of the Austrian Open one month ago.