Connect with us

News

Alex Eala advances in Dubai Open as Hailey Baptiste retires

Published

on

Aiming to make up for her first-round exit in Doha the previous week, Alex Eala was firing on all cylinders as she methodically dismantled Hailey Baptiste of the United States in the opening set before the American retired in the second.

The Filipina ace secured a 6-4, 0-1 (ret) victory in the first round of the 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships on Sunday.

Baptiste entered the main draw as a Lucky Loser after dropping her final qualifying match, where she had been the top seed.

The 24-year-old American, however, has had a strong start to her 2026 season, reaching the third round of the Australian Open in January and the semifinals of the WTA 500 Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open earlier this month, helping her climb to a career-high ranking of 39th in the world.

Eala, now also ranked a career-high 40th, drew inspiration from their previous encounter when she defeated Baptiste in three sets in the qualifiers of the 2025 WTA 250 Eastbourne Open last June.

The first set was a tightly contested affair, tied at 3-3 after an exchange of service breaks.

Eala pulled ahead by breaking Baptiste again in the seventh game and then holding serve to go up 5-3. Baptiste attempted to narrow the gap at 5-4, but Eala comfortably held serve in the 10th game to take the set.

Playing the first featured match of the evening at Center Court of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium, Eala delighted the predominantly Filipino crowd with her trademark scrambling defense and versatile shot-making, which effectively neutralized Baptiste’s powerful groundstrokes.

The second set promised another close battle as the two players battled through a first game filled with multiple deuces.

Eala had four break-point opportunities, but Baptiste managed to hold serve. That proved to be Baptiste’s final resistance, as she retired during the changeover due to a reported abdominal injury.

The 20-year-old Eala will have a day to recover before returning to action on Tuesday, when she will face a tough challenge against world No. 8 Jasmine Paolini of Italy, who received a first-round bye.

The 30-year-old Paolini, a finalist at both the 2024 French Open and Wimbledon, reached a career-high No. 4 ranking last year, making her a formidable opponent for the rising Filipina star.

The post Alex Eala advances in Dubai Open as Hailey Baptiste retires appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

News

Sweden, Czech set up World Cup base camp in Texas

Published

on

Sweden and Czech Republic have chosen Northern Texas as base camp for the 2026 World Cup.

Sweden, who qualified for the Mundial via the UEFA Playoffs, will train at FC Dallas home ground, the Toyota Stadium in Frisco.

The Czech Republic, on the other hand, will train at the Mansfield new stadium.

They will play their World Cup group games in Mexico and Atlanta, while Sweden will play in Arlington, Mexico and Houston.

The post Sweden, Czech set up World Cup base camp in Texas first appeared on Score Nigeria.

Continue Reading

News

JC Enarciso rises when it mattered most for Savouge

Published

on

Great teams adjust under pressure, and Savouge did just that, pulling off a bold gamble to force an all-or-nothing Game 3 in the 2026 Spikers’ Turf Open Conference Finals.

Head coach Sydney Calderon turned to usual second-stringer JC Enarciso to orchestrate the offense in place of All-Star starter Vince Imperial, and the move paid off.

Enarciso delivered a masterclass, guiding the Spin Doctors to a 25-22, 25-21, 25-19 sweep of the King Crunchers in Game 2 on Friday evening at the Filoil Centre in San Juan — extending the best-of-three series to a deciding match.

The Perpetual Help product dished out 22 excellent sets, powering an attack that saw four Savouge hitters reach double figures, led by Mark Calado’s 15 points.

ST-2026-Finals-G2-Savouge-vs.-Criss-Cross-JC-Enarciso-7333 JC Enarciso rises when it mattered most for Savouge News Spikers' Turf Volleyball  - philippine sports news

(C) Spikers’ Turf Images

“Siguro di ko naman inisip na do-or-die kasi nga, alam namin na mananalo at mananalo kami. Kasi nga yung hirap namin sa training kahapon, doble, tsaka pinag-aralan talaga namin,” said Enarciso, emphasizing belief backed by preparation.

“Nag-compose lang kami every point, every rotation, every spike, every dig. Lahat ng skills ng volleyball nag-compose lang lahat kami,” he added.

Giles Torres, Louie Ramirez, and JP Bugaoan joined Calado in double-digit scoring with 10 points apiece, while Shawie Caritativo chipped in seven points, along with 15 receptions and six digs.

For Enarciso, his standout performance also stemmed from a disappointing first meeting with Criss Cross, where he felt he let Calderon and Savouge down.

He started in the Spin Doctors’ first-round matchup against the King Crunchers, who swept the match, 25-23, 29-27, 25-17.

“Siguro bumawi lang ako nung elimination round 1, kasi ako yung ginamit against sa kanila. Lumamang kami, pero nagkulang kami sa huli. Yun yung kulang ko nung elimination,” said Enarciso.

“Kaya siguro bumawi ako sa kanila. Nag-compose ako and naka-focus ako kung saan nakakapatay saka doon yung swerte, doon ako pumupunta.”

With the series now level and everything on the line, Enarciso feels determined not to let the opportunity slip away.

Game 3 takes place on Sunday at 4:00 PM at the same San Juan venue, where Criss Cross will aim for back-to-back titles, while Savouge seeks its first-ever championship.

The post JC Enarciso rises when it mattered most for Savouge appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.

Continue Reading

News

Creamline returns to PVL Finals, sets up showdown vs Cignal

Published

on

Creamline is back in familiar territory—the Premier Volleyball League Finals.

The Cool Smashers outlasted the Farm Fresh Foxies, 25-23, 14-25, 25-23, 25-19, in a virtual battle for the last remaining Finals spot in the 2026 PVL All-Filipino Conference on Thursday at the Filoil Centre in San Juan.

This marks Creamline’s 15th Finals appearance and its first since the 2024–25 All-Filipino Conference, missing the championship stage in the next three tournaments.

“Siguro number one yung mga players talagang nag-step up, talagang gusto nilang manalo today kasi yung Farm Fresh hindi rin talaga basta-basta veteran team din pero siguro mas gusto ng players ng Creamline na manalo, makabalik sa finals, makalaban yung Cignal,” said Cool Smashers head coach Sherwin Meneses.

PVL-AFC-26-Semis-Creamline-vs.-Farm-Fresh-Pangs-Panaga-4099 Creamline returns to PVL Finals, sets up showdown vs Cignal News PVL Volleyball  - philippine sports news

(C) PVL Images

Creamline will face Cignal in the best-of-three Finals beginning Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Game 2 is scheduled for next Thursday, while Game 3—if necessary—will be on April 28. All matches will be held at the Big Dome.

Cignal has won its past two meetings against Creamline in the semifinals and qualifying round, while the Cool Smashers took their preliminary round encounter.

Creamline was comfortably ahead, 19-14, in the third set, but second-stringer Mylene Paat sparked a Farm Fresh rally to tie it at 19.

The Cool Smashers, however, regained their composure and closed out the set, with Bernadeth Pons, Michele Gumabao, Jema Galanza, and Tots Carlos delivering key hits to take a 2-1 set advantage.

Creamline then delivered a strong finishing kick in the fourth, turning a tight 19-17 lead into a 25-19 clincher behind Pangs Panaga, Jema Galanza, and errors from the opposition, sealing the win in two hours and nine minutes.

“Unang-una, sobrang masaya. Kasi hindi rin talaga naging madali yung journey namin na makabalik sa finals ngayong conference. So, sobrang happy, pero yun, hindi pa tapos yung laban. Kailangan namin ulit na maghanda, magtrabaho pa para makuha namin yung goal this conference,” said Pons, who finished with 12 points, 17 receptions, and 17 digs.

Three-time MVP Tots Carlos led the balanced Creamline attack with 15 points and 14 digs, while Jema Galanza and Pangs Panaga added 13 points each.

Jia De Guzman orchestrated the offense with 26 excellent sets and added five points, while Jen Nierva anchored the floor defense with 23 excellent receptions on 29 attempts.

PVL-AFC-26-Semis-Creamline-vs.-Farm-Fresh-Ces-Molina-3599 Creamline returns to PVL Finals, sets up showdown vs Cignal News PVL Volleyball  - philippine sports news

(C) PVL Images

On the other hand, Farm Fresh will battle PLDT for the bronze medal.

Trisha Tubu spearheaded the Foxies anew with 21 points, while Ces Molina delivered an all-around effort with 19 points on 16 attacks and three aces, along with 20 receptions and 15 digs.

Royse Tubino added 12 points and 14 digs, while Paat contributed 11 points off the bench.

The post Creamline returns to PVL Finals, sets up showdown vs Cignal appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.

Continue Reading

Trending