WTA
Eala pays tribute to friend Sonmez after Abu Dhabi victory
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Alexandra Eala defeated close friend Zeynep Sonmez 6-4, 6-3 in the first round of the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open, improving her head-to-head record to 3-0. The 20-year-old Filipina praised Sonmez's impact on tennis after the match. Eala advances to face lucky loser Aliaksandra Sasnovich next.
Oleksandra Oliynykova claimed her maiden WTA main-draw victory at the Transylvania Open, battling past Mayar Sherif in a nearly three-hour epic. The Ukrainian came from behind in the deciding set, turning a 3-1 deficit into a 6-7(6), 6-4, 6-4 triumph. Oliynykova credited her mindset shift amid personal challenges for the breakthrough.
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No. 6 seed Leylah Fernandez defeated lucky loser Chloe Paquet in the first round of the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open, dropping just three games in a dominant performance. This victory ends a four-match losing streak for the Canadian player. It marks her first win since October 2025.
Indonesian qualifier Janice Tjen pulled off a surprise victory over No. 22 seed Leylah Fernandez, winning 6-2, 7-6(1) in the first round of the Australian Open 2026. The match lasted 1 hour and 43 minutes on a hot afternoon in Melbourne. This marks Tjen's second consecutive Grand Slam opening-round upset against a seeded opponent.
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Building on her straight-sets win over Petra Marcinko, Filipino star Alex Eala earned her first victory over Poland's Magda Linette with a 6-3, 6-2 triumph in the ASB Classic quarterfinals in Auckland. The world No. 53 advances to face China's Xinyu Wang in the semifinals.