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Alex Eala out for redemption vs vet Cirstea in Dubai third round

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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.

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ZUS Coffee to grace Mighty Sports Center volleyball court launch

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Two weeks after inaugurating its basketball courts, Mighty Sports Center will officially open its volleyball courts at AcroCity in Guiguinto, Bulacan, on Saturday, October 10, in what promises to be another festive affair.

Rising star Jolina Dela Cruz and veterans Jovelyn Gonzaga and Rachell Anne Daquiz, along with the rest of the ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles, will join the celebration dubbed “SET.SPIKE.PLAY.”

AcroCity and Czark Mak chairman Caesar Wongchuking, a longtime sports patron, said that aside from the exhibition match between ZUS Coffee and the Makata Selection of Bulacan at 4 p.m., the event will also feature a meet-and-greet session where fans can interact with their PVL idols.

“Just like the inauguration of the basketball courts, fans can interact with these professional volleyball players,” said Wongchuking. “It’s our own little way to giving back to communities.”

Wongchuking added that proceeds from the event will go to Tahanang Mapagpala of Immaculada Concepcion Foundation, Inc. He also thanked ZUS Coffee owner Frank Lao for allowing his players to take part in the celebration.

Also expected to grace the event are Bulacan Vice Governor Alex Castro and Malolos City Mayor Christian Natividad.

The volleyball courts are part of the Mighty Sports Center at AcroCity, a development envisioned as a “Live, Work, Play” destination in Guiguinto.

Aside from its basketball and volleyball courts and modern fitness center, AcroCity is also home to Acro Residences Hotel, restaurants such as Cafe de Margaux and Mt. Fuji, and event venues including Ang Hardin and NDW Plaza, which is named after the Wongchuking family matriarch, Nelia D. Wongchuking.

The post ZUS Coffee to grace Mighty Sports Center volleyball court launch appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.

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Golden Eaglets begin U17 AFCON qualifiers vs Cote d’Ivoire

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The Golden Eaglets of Nigeria will begin their qualifying campaign for the U17 AFCON against Cote d’Ivoire next week Wednesday.

Their other Group B match will be against Niger three days later.

The WAFU B U17 AFCON qualifying tournament will kick off Saturday, when hosts Burkina Faso take on Benin and Ghana square up against Togo.

Burkina Faso head Group A, whose overall winners will face runners-up in Group B for a place in the championship game.

The post Golden Eaglets begin U17 AFCON qualifiers vs Cote d’Ivoire first appeared on Score Nigeria.

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Alex Eala, Shaira Rivera roll into Asian Games doubles second round

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Alex Eala and Shaira Rivera hurdled their first test as a doubles pair, defeating Hong Kong’s Kallista Liu and Lai Ching Laam, 6-1, 6-3, in the opening round of the women’s doubles tournament at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 on Tuesday.

With the outdoor courts washed out by continuous rain, Eala and Rivera had their original schedule pushed back to the evening. The long delay, however, did little to disrupt their rhythm as they quickly took control of the match.

Eala, ranked No. 127 in the world in doubles, and Rivera, a standout at NCAA Division II school University of West Alabama, needed little time to jell as a pair.

2026-Asian-Games-Alex-Eala-1 Alex Eala, Shaira Rivera roll into Asian Games doubles second round News Tennis  - philippine sports news

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After their opponents held serve in the opening game, the Filipinas rattled off six straight games to take the first set in just 33 minutes.

The second set lasted a bit longer, but Eala and Rivera remained in control for most of the way to seal the victory at the Higashiyama Park Tennis Center.

The road ahead, however, will be considerably tougher in the second round. Eala and Rivera will face doubles specialists and third seeds Jiang Xinyu and Yang Zhaoxuan of China.

The 27-year-old Jiang is ranked No. 22 in the world in doubles and recently reached the Wimbledon semifinals. Then Yang, 31, has a career-high doubles ranking of No. 9 and has also reached the semifinals of the French Open.

Both Filipinas are also into the next round in their other competitions — Rivera with partner Francis Alcantara in mixed doubles, and Eala in the women’s singles.

The post Alex Eala, Shaira Rivera roll into Asian Games doubles second round appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.

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