Why Alexandra Eala Can Recreate The Sania Mirza Magic In Dubai

2026-02-15 04:24:12

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Salah Tahlak, Tournament Director of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, still beams with pride when he recalls that magical night of 2005 when Sania Mirza cast her spell on the city.

The Dubai Tennis Stadium was packed to the rafters when the rising star of Indian tennis, Sania, made global headlines in 2005 with a stunning victory over Grand Slam winner Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia in Dubai.

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More than 5,000 Indian fans cheered Sania on at Centre Court, and another 2,000 ticketless fans waited outside for a glimpse of the Indian player.

Now 21 years later, as Dubai gets ready for the latest edition of the award-winning tennis tournament, Tahlak anticipates the same frenzy for Filipina tennis sensation Alexandra Eala, who is all set for her debut here.

Fresh from a quarterfinal run at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open, the 20-year-old will open her Dubai campaign against Lukcy Loser Hailey Baptiste of the US.

Being the crowd puller in the draw, the organisers have given Eala the prime time slot for Sunday, 7 pm UAE Time.

Salah knows the Centre Court will be roaring with chants of 'Eala, Eala' on Sunday, much like it did when Dubai was in the grip of Sania mania in 2005.

“I think it will be the same. It was very big, the crowd was massive, and the atmosphere was incredible for Sania. I expect the same kind of atmosphere for Eala when she plays her first match here,” Tahlak told Khaleej Times after the draw ceremony on Saturday.

“She (Eala) is a fantastic young player. She is very positive and very enthusiastic. So we are hopeful.”

The veteran official also said why it's so important for the tournament to have Eala in the field.

“We have three thousand Filipino staff in Dubai Duty Free. And such a Filipino presence in Dubai and the UAE in general. I think it's close to one million, the number of Filipinos we have in the UAE now. It's a very big community,” he said.

“So it's important because we are creating loyalty among fans. You create knowledge and awareness about the player, and they follow the player.”

Eala, the world number 40, is the highest-ranked player to have emerged from her country, where basketball, not tennis, rules the roost.

But Eala's phenomenal rise has triggered a tennis revolution in the Philippines, with hordes of fans and media following her every move.

A large crowd outside one of the side courts at the Australian Open in Melbourne last month before her match compelled even Andy Roddick, the former world number one and 2003 US Open champion, to take note of Eala's influence in promoting the game of tennis among Asian communities.

Salah acknowledges that Eala's story has transcended the boundaries of the Philippines.

“She is an Asian player who is making a mark on the world stage. So when a rising Asian star arrives here for this tournament, it will only upgrade the tennis and our tournament,” he said.

Eala is equally excited to be part of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, where she is expecting a carnival-like atmosphere on Sunday.

“It means a lot to me (to be playing in Dubai). There are a lot of Filipinos in the Middle East and in Dubai. That's why it's going to be special for me to play here,” said Eala.

For a player who was ranked as low as 139 only 12 months ago, Eala is now among the world's best young talents who has given the basketball-obsessed Philippines a new sport to fall in love with.