Valentova continues mastery over Eala in Qatar Open

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

For the second consecutive time in six months, Czech tennis prodigy Tereza Valentova swept Filipina star Alex Eala, 7-6, 6-1, in the opening round of the Qatar TotalEnergies Open on Feb. 9, 2026, in Doha.

Both teen tennis stalwarts had previously met in the first round of the WTA 250 Japan Women’s Open last October, where Valentova scored her first win over Eala in the same fashion, 6-1, 6-2.

Eala may have showcased effective adjustments during the rematch, but the 18-year-old Czech remained steady to replicate the 2-0 win on the hard court.

Trailing 2-4 in the opening set, Valentova showed nerves of steel after scoring a much-needed break point, followed by a service hold, to level the highly anticipated rematch at 4-all.

After trading back-to-back service holds, both tennis aces settled the score in the deciding tiebreaker, with Eala taking the early lead at 2-1 courtesy of a quick attack to the net.

Valentova broke the 3-all deadlock with a rare net-attack point, before Eala committed back-to-back unforced errors that put the Czech at set point, 6-3.

However, the 20-year-old Filipina fought back, clawing her way from a three-point deficit to tie the decider at 6-all. Eala wowed the crowd with a forehand-attack point and a return ace to pull within a point, 5-6, and extended the tiebreaker with an error from Valentova.

In an anticlimactic stretch, Valentova easily breezed through with two consecutive points, built from a much-needed backhand return ace and an Eala baseline error, to grab the momentum-boosting 1-0 lead.

It was then all Valentova in the second set, as the exhausted Eala was undone by a string of unforced baseline errors and costly short-ball chances that could have saved her more game points.

Valentova quickly broke Eala’s first two service games, en route to a commanding 5-0 lead. Eala was able to hold her next service game, but the Czech got the last laugh to formalize her entry into the next round of the Qatar Open.

After nearly two hours of high-octane tennis, Valentova wrapped up the first-round win with 70 points won, 29 on the return, including four service aces and four breaks.

On the other hand, Eala struggled to serve consistently, only tallying 56% on her first serve, with no aces and three double faults.