Who is Hailey Baptiste? Alex Eala’s Round of 64 opponent at the Dubai Tennis Championships

Alexandra "Alex" Eala is set to continue her Middle East swing, testing her mettle at the WTA1000 Dubai Tennis Championships scheduled for late Sunday. 

The Filipina tennis ace is seeking to reassert her mastery of USA bet Hailey Baptiste when they slug it out in the Round of 64 at 11 p.m. (Manila time). 

The 24-year-old Baptiste is a familiar face for the Philippine ace as they previously met during the qualifying round of Eastbourne Open last June, where Eala pulled off a 6(1)-7, 7-6(4), 6-1 victory over the top-seeded American. 

Eala will now look to replicate that success when they meet anew later today. 

Baptiste is currently ranked no. 39, which also served as her career-high after decent finishes in previous tournaments such as the prestigious Australian Open and Abu Dhabi Open. 

Baptiste made a main draw appearance at the Australian Open, beating compatriot Taylor Townsend in Round of 128 and Storm Hunter in Round of 64. However, she fell to world no. 5 Coco Gauff, another USA bet, during their Round of 32 clash. 

Baptiste bounced back in the Abu Dhabi Open, escaping Teodora Kostovic, Emma Navarro, and Liudmila Samsonova in the first three rounds to reach the semifinals. However, Baptiste faltered again in the semifinals after losing 6-3, 6(5)-7, 3-6 to Ekaterina Alexandrova. 

The winner of this match will take on Italian star and world no. 8 Jasmine Paolini, who won the tournament back in 2024 before Mirra Andreeva reigned supreme last year.  

—Bea Micaller/JKC, GMA Integrated News