Smiles, autographs and belief: Eala wins hearts despite Gauff setback

Despite a demoralising defeat against Coco Gauff, one of the world's best players, that silenced the packed Dubai Stadium, Alexandra Eala remained a picture of poise.

- Rituraj Borkakoty [e-mail]

After being put to the sword by Gauff in the 6-0, 6-2 quarterfinal defeat at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, Eala still obliged her adoring fans with autographs as she slowly made her way to the media mixed zone for her post-match press conference.

The Filipina trailblazer admitted that Thursday's defeat to the two-time Grand Slam winner proved how far she still must travel to reach the level of the world's elite players in a brutally competitive sport like tennis.

"Coco played really well; I don't think it was my best performance. I definitely could have performed better. But all things aside, I think there is still definitely a gap, in terms of level, between Coco and me and other players of her calibre," Eala admitted.