Ekaterina Alexandrova defeated Alexandra Eala 6-3, 6-3 in the quarterfinals of the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open, securing her first semifinal of 2026. Sara Bejlek routed Sonay Kartal 6-0, 6-2 to claim her debut WTA tour-level semifinal, while Clara Tauson and Hailey Baptiste also progressed by beating McCartney Kessler and Liudmila Samsonova, respectively. The semifinals will feature unseeded breakthroughs against higher seeds.
In the quarterfinals of the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open presented by Abu Dhabi Sports Council 2026, No. 2 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova overcame Alexandra Eala 6-3, 6-3 in 1 hour and 30 minutes. Alexandrova, facing a supportive crowd for the 19-year-old Filipino, relied on her powerful serve, winning 70% of first-serve points compared to Eala's 45%. She struck 33 winners to Eala's 15 and saved four break points in the first set before closing it out.
"I saw the last match," Alexandrova said in her on-court interview, referencing Eala's dramatic second-round comeback from 4-0 down against Aliaksandra Sasnovich, where she saved a match point. "She was fighting 'til the end. I knew it was going to be difficult but I think the atmosphere was amazing today... I'm happy I could finish in two sets because it was really difficult in the end."
In another all-qualifier matchup, 20-year-old Sara Bejlek dominated Sonay Kartal 6-0, 6-2 in just 63 minutes, winning the first 10 games with a mix of down-the-line shots and drop shots. Bejlek will face No. 3 seed Clara Tauson in the semifinals after Tauson defeated McCartney Kessler 6-3, 6-4, leveling their head-to-head at 1-1 and marking her first semifinal of the year.
Wild card Hailey Baptiste, 24, upset No. 5 seed Liudmila Samsonova 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 in her third three-setter of the week, notching her second Top 20 win of the tournament after beating No. 4 Emma Navarro earlier. This victory sends Baptiste to her first tour-level semifinal against Alexandrova. Both semifinals on Friday pit seeds against players reaching new milestones on the WTA Tour.