Alexandra Eala has advanced to the Indian Wells fourth round following Coco Gauff’s retirement from their third-round match.
Eala was leading 6-2, 2-0 when Gauff was forced to retire from their blockbuster contest due to an arm injury.
It was the second time the pair have met in as many months, following Gauff’s victory over the Filipina at the Dubai Tennis Championships.
With victory over Gauff, Eala has once again demonstrated her status as one of the best young talents on the WTA Tour alongside Victoria Mboko and Mirra Andreeva.
And following her victory over Gauff on Sunday evening, Eala discussed which young stars she considers to be her closest friends on the WTA Tour.
Alex Eala reveals her best friends on the WTA Tour
Speaking to the Tennis Channel after the match, Eala said: “I think this year one of my resolutions, and maybe even before that, was to try and be more social and come out of my shell a bit.
“I am happy to say that I have built a lot of really great friendships on Tour. This week I played with Iva Jovic, we are really good friends. She is super good fun.
“Others that I’m really good friends, one of my best friends not just on Tour but in life, is Zeynep [Somnez]. I have grown really close with her. Also Victoria Mboko.
“I am surrounded by so many amazing women. Eva Lys, Iva Jovic. And also that half Filipinos being on tour, I have really bonded with them.
“So I am really grateful I am able to build these sort of friendships because we can understand each other. It’s just girlhood.”
| Tournament (2026) | Level | Surface | Result | Final Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASB Classic Auckland | WTA 250 | Hard | Semifinalist | Xinyu Wang |
| Australian Open 2026 | Grand Slam | Hard | 1st Round | Alycia Parks |
| Abu Dhabi Open 2026 | WTA 500 | Hard | Quarterfinalist | Ekaterina Alexandrova |
| Dubai Tennis Championships 2026 | WTA 1000 | Hard | Quarterfinalist | Coco Gauff |
| Indian Wells Open 2026 | WTA 1000 | Hard | Round of 16 (ongoing) | beat Coco Gauff to reach the fourth round |
Eala and Jovic, aged 20 and 18, have played together twice on the WTA Tour so far this season.
The pair first teamed up at the ASB Classic, reaching the semi-finals before losing to Xu Yifan and Yang Zhaoxuan.
In Indian Wells, the duo lost in their first round to Jelena Ostapenko and Hailey Baptiste.
The pair also played each other in doubles four years ago for the US Open Girls’ Doubles event.
Alex Eala and Mirra Andreeva’s 2022 US Open doubles partnership
Alex Eala and Russian star Mirra Andreeva teamed up for the 2022 US Open Girls Doubles event.
The pair, who have gone on to become top 30 singles players on the WTA Tour, were seeded fourth at the event and consequently, were one of the favourites to win the title.
In the first round, they easily dispatched Iva Jovic and Shannon Lam, beating the American wildcards 6-2, 6-2.
The pair were due to take on Carolina Kuhl and Ella Seidel for a quarterfinals berth. However, they withdrew from the event, handing Kuhl and Seidel a walkover.
Eala was also competing in the singles event and she went on to win her sole junior Grand Slam singles title, beating Lucie Havlíčková in the final.
Eala also won two junior Grand Slam doubles titles: the 2020 Australian Open and 2021 French Open.