Czech teenager Tereza Valentova edged out a tightly contested opening set before pulling away to defeat Filipina star Alex Eala, 7-6 (8-6), 6-1, on Monday evening (Manila time) at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha.
The loss sent world No. 40 Eala to an early exit from the 2026 Qatar TotalEnergies Open.
“I think I really did a good job. I knew you wanted her to win. The atmosphere was amazing,” Valentova said in her post-match interview, acknowledging the strong Filipino crowd that rallied behind Eala.
Valentova, ranked No. 44 in the world, seized control of the match after clinching the opening set tiebreak with a flat return winner and a hold of serve in the decisive 13th game.
From there, the 18-year-old Czech dictated play with her steady baseline game, racing to a 5-0 lead in the second set to put the match beyond reach.
“It was a really challenging match. I was really prepared for it,” Valentova said after the 92-minute encounter. She advanced to the second round, where she will face world No. 14 Karolina Muchova.
Eala earned $18,300 in prize money and 10 WTA ranking points from her Doha campaign.
In the first set, Eala briefly held the upper hand, serving for the set at 6-5 following back-to-back net errors by Valentova. However, the Czech player responded with consecutive forehand winners in the 12th game to force a tiebreak at 6-6.
It marked Valentova’s second straight victory over Eala, following her 6-1, 6-2 win in the Round of 32 at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open in Osaka six months ago.
