Alex Eala vs. Hailey Baptiste 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships Round of 64 Preview

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Alex Eala vs. Hailey Baptiste 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships Round of 64 Preview image

Photo by Christopher Pike/Getty Images

By Joel Reyes

Alex Eala will return to action on Sunday night (PH time) when she takes on Hailey Baptiste in the first round of the WTA 1000 Dubai Tennis Championships at Aviation Club Tennis Centre.

This is Eala’s first match since suffering a disappointing first-round exit at the WTA 1000 Qatar Open. The Quezon City native lost to Czech qualifier Tereza Valentova in straight sets, 6-7 (6), 1-6 in Doha last Sunday.

The Filipina tennis star will look for a much better showing against Baptiste, who is also a qualifier in Dubai. The American secured her spot in the round of 64 after beating Rebecca Sramkova 6-3, 7-5 last Saturday.

This will be Eala and Baptiste’s second meeting on the WTA Tour. Eala won their previous encounter in a qualifying round match at the Eastbourne Open in June of last year, recording a 6-7 (1), 7-6 (4), 6-1 victory.