EARLY CAMPAIGN COLLAPSE Vengeful Eala falters to Valentova, exits Qatar Open in Rd of 64

Alex Eala fell short of redemption after bowing to Tereza Valentova, 6–7(6), 1–6, which ended her run in the 2026 Qatar Open round of 64 women's singles tennis at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex on February 9.

Eala stifled a 0–2 game-deficit in the opener to force a tiebreak at 6–all, slotting key forehands that capitalized on the Czech’s empty side courts.

Not going down, Valentova pulled away from the deadlock as she staged a five-point second-set surge while evading Eala’s late errant lob shot to ice the set.

This is the second time the Filipina lost to Valentova, with her first defeat dating back to the Japan Open round of 32, absorbing a 1–6, 2–6 fumble.

The Pinay found her groove as she fired lefty smashes that breached her opponent's blocks to drive ahead from a 2–all game-standstill in the get go.

Their toe-to-toe affair pushed the score to 6–all to kickstart a tiebreak; the Czech standout eventually sealed the onset with an ace that stumped Eala.

Valentova then ignited a massive second-salvo spurt, nailing drop shots and backhands that benefited from Eala’s slow footwork to sink the latter at 0–5.

Meanwhile, the Filipina attempted a minor-point effort, 1–5 through her smashes—but that was not enough to upend her opponent’s lead.

Ultimately, Eala fell flat in the final stretch as the Czech phenom weaved through the former’s out-of-bounds arc shot to secure her victory.

The Pinay aims for an enhanced performance in more WTA events.