Eala eases through as Gauff retires with elbow pain

Flilpina sensation Alexandra Eala continued her steady climb through the WTA rankings on Sunday as she advanced to the fourth round of the Indian Wells Masters 6-2, 2-1 as Coco Gauff quit their match injured.

The American fourth seed who has never been past the semis at one of her home events, was unable to play on after 58 minutes against the No. 32.

Gauff got up and early break before her injury began dragging her down and propelling her 18-year-old opponent closer to the business end of the California event.

Gauff, 21, quit mid-match for only the second time in her career after 2022 Cincinnati.

“I really didn’t want to win this way,” But this is still a really big moment for me to be able to play on Stadium 1 at Indian Wells, against such a great competitor,” the winner said.

Eala has becomes a cult favourite at tournament all over the world, with the local Philippine diaspora keen to attend her matches and let their enthusiasm rip. .

“I do my best to be humble and to keep my feet on the ground because I am surrounded by so many amazing players,” Eala, a 2025 Miami semi-finalist, said. 

“No one likes winning like that, and no one likes losing like that.

“Nevertheless, I’m really happy with how I played. I’m really happy with my performance, and I hope I can make the best out of the momentum.”