Who is Ekaterina Alexandrova? Alex Eala’s quarterfinals opponent at the Abu Dhabi Open

Alexandra “Alex” Eala has advanced to the quarterfinals of the Abu Dhabi Open, where she will face a formidable opponent on Thursday.

Eala is set to take on 31-year-old Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova, currently ranked No. 11 in the world by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA). Alexandrova reached a career-high ranking of No. 10 last October and has captured five WTA singles titles.

An experienced Grand Slam player since 2016, Alexandrova made her first major appearance at Wimbledon. In 2025, she reached the Round of 16 at Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the US Open, though she suffered a first-round exit at this year’s Australian Open.

In Abu Dhabi, Alexandrova received a first-round bye before cruising past Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska, 6–3, 6–0, in the Round of 16.

Eala, 20, is currently ranked No. 45. She opened her campaign with a 6–4, 6–3 win over Zeynap Sönmez, then staged a comeback against Aliaksandra Sasnovich, 2–6, 6–4, 7–6(5), to book her place in the quarterfinals of the WTA 500 event.

Last week in Manila, Eala reached the quarterfinals of a WTA 125 tournament but fell to eventual champion Camila Osorio.

Prior to that, she made a semifinal run at the ASB Classic before exiting in the first round of the Australian Open.

Eala was also declared as champion of the Kooyong Classic.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News