Alex Eala was candid about the \u201cgap\u201d between herself and Coco Gauff after her lopsided defeat to the American star at the 2026 Dubai Championships.<\/p>\n
The 20-year-old Filipina lost the first 10 games in her 0-6, 2-6 loss to Gauff in the quarter-finals at the WTA 1000 event in Dubai.<\/p>\n
It was\u00a0Eala<\/a>\u2018s first encounter with Gauff, a two-time Grand Slam champion and the current world No 4.<\/p>\n Eala overcame Hailey Baptiste, Jasmine Paolini and Sorana Cirstea during her impressive run in Dubai.<\/p>\n In the previous two weeks, Eala exited the WTA 1000 in Doha in the first round after she reached the quarter-finals at the WTA 500 in Abu Dhabi.<\/p>\n In a post on her Instagram account after losing to Gauff, Eala reflected on her series of tournaments in the Middle East.<\/p>\n \u201cThree weeks of fighting with love and pride has come to an end here in Dubai,\u201d the world No 47 wrote.<\/p>\n \u201cThe competition, the atmosphere, the hospitality, and the full-blown support has made these weeks ones I\u2019ll never forget! Thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n WTA Tour News<\/p>\n Alex Eala\u2019s Dubai Championships prize money & ranking points revealed<\/a><\/p>\n Coco Gauff sends classy message to Alex Eala\u2019s fans after Dubai showdown<\/a><\/p>\n Want more from Tennis365? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for tennis coverage you can trust.<\/p>\n Eala went on to share a quote from Sabrina Santamaria, an American WTA player who has a Filipina mother.<\/p>\n \u201c@sabsantamaria once said, \u201cit\u2019s a privilege to play in front of people who see themselves in you.\u201d I couldn\u2019t agree more. What a privilege it is to do what you love, with love,\u201d Eala continued.<\/p>\n In a post-match interview, Eala spoke about the gap to the top players and remained positive about her week in Dubai.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously, I think the gap between us was pretty prominent,\u201d the Filipina said.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s not to say that I\u2019m so far out of reach from these players. I think this match was\u2026 I mean, the score says a lot, but I think I\u2019m not so disappointed.<\/p>\n \u201cI keep my head up. I feel good about the whole week, and how I\u2019ve been doing. So, the biggest takeaway for me, honestly, is that I\u2019m on the right path.\u201d<\/p>\n