Tennis Gazette readers have picked Alexandra Eala as their clear favorite over her WTA Tour rival Coco Gauff.
Eala and Gauff represent two of the most high-profile players on the WTA Tour, and intriguingly just went head-to-head for the very first time.
Gauff played against Eala at the Dubai Tennis Championships earlier this week, comfortably winning their quarterfinal clash 6-0, 6-2.
It was a very one-sided match-up in Dubai, with Gauff needing just one hour and seven minutes to defeat Eala.
But the tables are turned when it comes to the favorite player between the two, with Tennis Gazette readers having been posed that exact debate on TalkingPoints.
Who is your favorite player – Alexandra Eala or Coco Gauff?
Let us know why in the comments!
Tennis Gazette readers prefer Alexandra Eala over Coco Gauff
Tennis Gazette readers were asked for their favorite player between Gauff and Eala, and why, and the Filipina star ran away with the vote.
From more than 2,000 responses, Eala boasts 83.64% of the total votes, compared to just 16.36% for Gauff.
Given the huge support for the Filipina ace, the outcome is not surprising, but the utter dominance definitely is.
As mentioned, the opposite played out during their maiden WTA meeting, after which Gauff was full of praise for Eala.
Alexandra Eala must take confidence from Dubai despite heavy Coco Gauff loss
Eala attracts huge support wherever she goes, which is fantastic for tennis and, of course, for the young star herself.
It always gives her an added boost, but Gauff was quick to silence her fans in Dubai with a ruthless first-set bagel.
The American remarkably recorded a huge eight double faults in the match, continuing her struggles in that area, but still posted a very straightforward victory.
But she wasn’t able to ride that wave of momentum into the semifinals, where Gauff lost to Elina Svitolina.
For Eala, it was a humbling defeat, but she had already produced her moment of magic at the WTA 1000 tournament.
| Coco Gauff | Alexandra Eala | |
| 60.4% (29/48) | Total service points won | 35% (14/40) |
| 65% (26/40) | Total return points won | 39.6% (19/48) |
| 62.5% (55/88) | Total points won | 37.5% (33/88) |
Eala knocked out Jasmine Paolini early on in Dubai, and must take great confidence from that win and her run in general.
The 20-year-old is quickly becoming a big problem for big names on the WTA Tour, although it’s clear that there is still room for improvement following the nature of the loss to Gauff.
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