Alexandra Eala was heavily beaten earlier today, as Coco Gauff put on a magnificent display in front of a packed Dubai crowd.
Sadly, those full stands did not get their desired result, with the vast majority of the support pulling for the Filipina sensation.
She commands huge attention wherever she goes, and Dubai was no different.
So, to watch her make a mesmeric run to the quarterfinals at another WTA 1000 event really captured the imagination, even if it was halted in rather abrupt fashion.
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It showed Alex Eala and her fanbase just how far she from the true top level of the sport. She spoke about that very topic after the match.
Alexandra Eala says how far away from Coco Gauff she thinks she is
Discussing the defeat in her post-match press conference, Eala was extremely measured in her assessment of the loss.
Understanding her place in the wider WTA Tour, the 20-year-old admitted: “I’m feeling okay. I definitely think I could be feeling better under different circumstances.
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“Yeah, I think that Coco played really well… I don’t think that was my best performance ever, you know, but I’m happy that I was able to bring out a certain level during the last few games.
“I think at the end of the day, yeah, I definitely could have performed better. But yeah, all things aside, at the end of the day, I think there’s still definitely a gap in terms of level between me and Coco and, you know, other players of her calibre.
“So, yeah, I think she did great, and my job is to try and close that gap, and I think I’m doing that quite well. So I’ll keep working on it, and hopefully next time we’ll be a bit tighter.”
Gauff had a message for Eala and her fans after the match too, showcasing the incredible level of respect between these two ultimate competitors.
Alexandra Eala compares her run in Dubai to reaching the Miami semifinals
This was not all Eala had to chat about in her press conference, with the 20-year-old also comparing this run in Dubai to her Miami success.
She admitted: “Yeah, I think it was a completely different set of challenges here.
“I think each, you know, each of those experiences were super special. So this week and Miami, everything was new there, you know, it was my first time being in the semifinal of a 1000 and playing all these players.
“This is a new experience for me in terms of crowd, in terms of playing all the night matches.
“So in each circumstance, there’s so many things that I can learn. So hopefully after this week I grow more as a player.”
Coco Gauff will now face Elina Svitolina in the semifinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships.
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