News
Alex Eala out for redemption vs vet Cirstea in Dubai third round
Alex Eala is just one win away from making her second quarterfinal appearance in a WTA 1000 tournament.
But first, she must overcome a seasoned Romanian veteran who has been playing freely and winning consistently after announcing her plans to retire at the end of the 2026 season.
The world No. 47 Eala will face world No. 32 Sorana Cirstea in the final match on Center Court in the third round of the WTA Dubai Tennis Championships on Thursday at 12:10 AM, Manila time.
Cirstea is coming off a triumph at the WTA 250 Transylvania Open just over a week ago on her home soil, where she dominated former US Open champion and top seed Emma Raducanu of Great Britain in the final, 6-0, 6-2.
The 35-year-old Romanian started the year by reaching the third round of the WTA 1000 Brisbane International, scoring straight-set victories over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia and former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia. She later fell to world No. 1 and eventual champion Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus.
At the Australian Open, she defeated Eva Lys of Germany in the opening round but was stopped in the second round by former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka of Japan.
Eala, ranked No. 170 at the time, previously faced Cirstea in the first round of the 2024 WTA 1000 Madrid Open.
The Romanian, then ranked 30th, edged out the 18-year-old Filipina in a hard-fought match, 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-4.
Cirstea is known for her blistering serves, recorded as fast as 175 km/h, and her powerful forehand.
At her peak, she can overwhelm opponents with her strength and aggressive style of play.
Eala, meanwhile, is slowly building a reputation for having one of the most resilient defenses on the pro tour.
To succeed, she will need to stay alert and retrieve Cirstea’s attacking groundstrokes consistently.
If the young Filipina can showcase her signature scrambling returns and extend rallies, she stands a chance of frustrating Cirstea, who can become erratic when she is unable to hit quick winners.
Both players have impressed in Dubai so far. Eala advanced with straight-set wins over recent WTA Abu Dhabi semifinalist Hailey Baptiste of the United States and world No. 8 Jasmine Paolini of Italy.
Cirstea, for her part, defeated Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus and 10th seed Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic.
The winner of the Eala-Cirstea clash will advance to the quarterfinals to face the victor of the match between world No. 4 Coco Gauff of the United States and world No. 22 Elise Mertens of Belgium.
The post Alex Eala out for redemption vs vet Cirstea in Dubai third round appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.
News
Sweden, Czech set up World Cup base camp in Texas
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.
News
JC Enarciso rises when it mattered most for Savouge
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.
“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.
News
Creamline returns to PVL Finals, sets up showdown vs Cignal
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.
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.
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.
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