00:00Filipino tennis sensation Alex Ayala advanced the next round after defeating Turkey's Zeynep Sanmez, 6-4, 6-3, in the round of 32 of the Abu Dhabi Open.
00:11Ayala moves on to face 31-year-old Belarusian and world number 109 Aleksandra Sasnovich in the round of 16.
00:19Joining Ayala among the day's winners were Latvia's Yelena Ostapenko and Indonesia's Janice Chen, who will also partner with her in the doubles tournament.
00:28Meanwhile, the Filipino netter continues to make history after climbing to a new career high, number 45, in the latest WTA rankings released on Monday.
00:39The ranking surge came even before the start of her campaign in the Abu Dhabi Open.
00:44This stemmed from her participation in the historic Philippine Women's Open in Manila, where she reached the quarterfinals before bowing to eventual champion Camila Osorio of Colombia.
00:55For now, Ayala is fully focused on her campaign in the Abu Dhabi Open as she chases her first title of the 2026 season.
Comments