Overview
- Gauff swept Alexandra Eala 6-0, 6-2 in the quarterfinals to book a Dubai semifinal against Elina Svitolina.
- The quarterfinal came a day after Gauff saved three match points to defeat Elise Mertens 2-6, 7-6 (9), 6-3.
- Gauff acknowledged her serving inconsistency this week, having hit 12 double faults vs Anna Kalinskaya and 16 vs Mertens before steadying enough against Eala.
- Eala’s breakout run earns 215 ranking points and projects her to No. 32 in the WTA live rankings, positioning her to be the first Filipino seeded at a Grand Slam.
- According to OptaAce, Gauff has now reached WTA‑1000 round of 16s 31 times, surpassing Maria Sharapova and trailing only Martina Hingis.