World No. 40 Filipino tennis player Ella Alexander expressed her happiness with the huge public support she received during her first appearance at the 'Dubai Tennis Championships'. She managed to bring joy to her supporters from the Filipino community, who filled the stands of the tournament, which is currently in its 26th edition at the 'Dubai Duty Free' courts in Al Quoz. The tournament is part of the 1000 category and has a total prize fund of $4.08 million. At the age of 20, Ella, amidst overwhelming support from the Filipino community in Dubai, reached the second round of the 'Dubai Tennis Championships' by defeating American No. 39 Hailey Baptiste yesterday, who was forced to retire from the second set due to injury after the Filipino player won the first set (6-4). Ella will face Italian Jasmine Paolini, the world No. 8, today. This match will be a real test for the Filipino star, who is one of the most rising players in women's tennis in recent years. She jumped from No. 158 at the end of 2024 to No. 50 by the end of the same year and currently holds the 40th position in the world. Ella said in a press statement: 'I am very happy to have qualified for the second round, as these tournaments are a great experience for me, especially playing in front of this wonderful crowd in Dubai, and I will do my best to enjoy every moment I spend on the court.' She added: 'The support I received made me feel like I was at home, and I believe this feeling is mutual for many Filipinos here. I know there is a large community of them in the Middle East in general, and in the UAE specifically. The encouragement that accompanied every ball in my first match here made it a very special experience for me.' Ella's participation in the 'Dubai Tennis Championships' comes after her outstanding performance at the 'Mubadala' tournament in Abu Dhabi, where she showed a strong level, especially in the quarter-final match where she managed to come back from a (0-4) deficit in the deciding set against Alexandra Sasnovich and win two sets to one (2-6, 6-4, 7-5). The Danish Tausic is set to meet the 'lucky loser'. Last year's runner-up at the 'Dubai Tennis Championships' and the tournament's No. 12, Danish player Clara Tausic, will meet American Peyton Stearns, who received a 'lucky loser' wildcard today, after Tausic's victory yesterday over American No. 30 Sofia Kenin in straight sets (7-6, 6-2). Peyton benefited from the WTA system, which gives players who perform well in qualifying rounds a chance to enter the main draw if a player withdraws. The American received the 'lucky loser' wildcard after one of the participants withdrew from the 'Dubai Tennis Championships 2026', and confirmed her right to the opportunity by defeating Polish No. 59 Magdalena Frisch yesterday in straight sets (6-4, 6-2). 2019 champion Bencic barely makes it through the first round. 2019 champion, Swiss player Blinda Bencic, ranked No. 13 in the world, barely made it through the first round after defeating Spanish No. 48 Jessica Maniero yesterday in two sets to one in a match held on the center court at the end of the first round. Blinda trailed in the first set (2-6) before regaining her composure and winning the second (6-1), and continued her dominance in the third and deciding set, finishing it (6-2). Today, Blinda will face the young Czech player Sara Belek, ranked No. 38 in the world and last week's 'Mubadala' champion, following Belek's victory yesterday over Turkish player Zeynep Sonmez in straight sets (6-2, 6-2). It is worth noting that both players, Belek and Sonmez, participated in Dubai via a special invitation from the organizing committee dedicated to young talents on the world stage.
