Alex Ila’s magical run at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships continued on Wednesday as she defeated world No. 32 Sorana Cirstea 7-5, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals.
This is her second time reaching the last eight of a WTA 1000 tournament, her first being at last year’s famous Miami Open. This is in return for Eara’s 3-6, 7-6, 4-6 loss to the 35-year-old veteran at the 2024 Mutua Madrid Open.
Both players had moments of instability on their serve in the first set, but actual breaks were difficult to secure and breaks proved decisive. In the third game, Ila took the lead, but Cirstea quickly responded with a shot of his own to tie the score at 2-2.
From there, the set settled into a series of solid holds, extended baseline exchanges and a disciplined service game to push the score to 5-5.
The 20-year-old Filipino then picked up her return game on the 11th, applying pressure from her second serve to earn her second break of the set. The opener maintained her composure in the first game and shut it out in the 12th game to grab an early advantage.
The biggest difference in the first set was unforced errors, with Kirstea committing 30 to Ila’s only 19.
Ila maintained her rhythm in the second set, breaking Cirstea’s serve twice and taking a 4-0 lead. She sealed the playoff return by stepping inside the baseline and forcing mistakes from the Romanian, who was struggling to find consistency in long rallies.
Cirstea held steady in the fifth game and threatened in the sixth game, earning two break point chances. However, Ila focused on her first serve and held it well, increasing her lead to 5-1.
Cirstea refused to slow down and began a late push, breaking in the seventh and stringing together three games in a row to cut the deficit to 5-4.
While the match was tense, Ila fought back with a calm service game in the 10th inning. She made the first serve, controlled the exchange from the baseline, and closed out the victory with authority.
Ila will face world No. 4 Coco Gauff (USA) in the long-awaited quarterfinals. It’s a clash of doubles partners for the 2025 Italian Open.
