WTA Tour make error with Alex Eala’s schedule that will have real consequences for Elina Svitolina

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Alex Eala will play Coco Gauff in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships.

But having closed the show on Centre Court in the second and third rounds, Eala has been pushed forward to open the night session in the quarterfinals.

Her quarterfinal match with Gauff will be followed by Elina Svitolina vs Antonia Ruzic.

On the surface, it may not seem like a big deal, but in reality, the schedule change could ruin fan attendance for Svitolina’s quarterfinal match…

Alex Eala schedule change might cause fan exodus before Elina Svitolina’s quarterfinal

If the first few rounds of the Dubai Tennis Championships have told us anything, it’s that Eala is one of, if not the biggest, stars in professional tennis.

Her fans follow her wherever she goes and have supported her every step of the way in the UAE.

That’s great for Eala and the tournament, as the Filipinos have undoubtedly done wonders for ticket sales, but it does have a knock-on effect for other players.

A large portion of Eala’s fanbase (not all!) are there to support her, and that’s as far as they’ll go.

That isn’t a problem when she’s scheduled last on, as the fans are happy to enjoy the first match before their ‘main event’ takes centre stage.

We saw evidence of this in the third round, as Gauff and Mertens played out a three-set battle in front of a raucous crowd.

But both players knew who the majority of fans were there to see.

During her post-match interview, Gauff apologised to Eala’s fans for making them wait to see their favorite.

When she’s not the last match of the day, though, problems may arise.

It’s hard to imagine the Filipino fans sticking around to watch Svitolina play Ruzic after Eala’s quarterfinal match finishes.

Thursday, February 19 – Dubai order of play

That could cause a mass exodus of fans, leaving Svitolina and Ruzic to play in front of a much smaller crowd than they’d have experienced if the powers that be had been smarter with their scheduling.

It would be a shame for Svitolina, a former world number three and four-time WTA 1000 champion, to play in front of a few hundred fans when she could easily have enjoyed a packed stadium if she’d been scheduled to play before Eala.

From that point of view, the schedule change makes no sense at all, but the WTA Tour and the Dubai tournament organisers must have had their reasons.

So what were they?

Alex Eala vs Coco Gauff schedule change works better for fans in the Philippines

The first match of the Dubai evening session is scheduled to begin ‘Not before 7 PM’ Dubai time.

In the Philippines, that match begins at 11 PM.

The second match follows the conclusion of the first.

Therefore, if the first match of the evening session ran longer than two hours, the second wouldn’t begin until past 9 PM.

Which would be bad news for Eala’s fans in the Philippines, as they’d have to wait till 1 AM to see their favorite play.

As the WTA Tour looks to capitalise on Eala’s popularity, catering to her fans might be a sensible move.

However, that might be a short-sighted decision.

If her fans watching back home in the Philippines are glued to the TV waiting to see Eala play, they are more likely to tune in to the first match of the session.

What better way to introduce Filipino fans to other players than to have them take to the court before Eala?

We’re speaking in hypotheticals, but if Svitolina and Ruzic were scheduled first in the evening session and they put on a three-set classic, that could entice Eala’s fans to keep an eye out for when the Ukrainian and Croat play next.

Instead, the unfortunate likelihood is that the millions of Filipino fans will go to sleep after Eala’s match finishes, and understandably so.

The WTA Tour and the tournament organisers in Dubai don’t have it easy, as for every decision they make, there are pros and cons, but if they want to make the most of Eala’s growing popularity, they can ill afford to make any more mistakes.