Alex Eala reaches round of 16 in Indian Wells as Coco Gauff retires

MANILA, Philippines – Alex Eala added Coco Gauff to her list of Grand Slam victims.

But it was not in the way Eala had wanted as she led 6-2, 2-0 when Gauff retired due to an apparent injury in their round of 32 match in the Indian Wells Open in California, United States, on Sunday, March 8 (Monday, March 9, Manila time).

Gauff, a two-time major winner, availed of a medical timeout late in the first set for a left arm issue and decided to call it a night after just two games into second set. 

“I really didn’t want to win this way, but this is still a really big moment for me to be able to play on Stadium 1 of Indian Wells and against such a great competitor. I’m really grateful to be here and I’m super happy,” said Eala. 

While Gauff was not in her best shape, Eala proved to in better form compared to her showing in their first-ever encounter when the American gave the Filipina a 6-0, 6-2 beating in the quarterfinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships in February.

The 20-year-old Eala showcased dynamic shotmaking, catching Gauff off guard with a couple of drop shots that she turned into winners.

One of those drop shot winners came in sixth game of the opening set, where Eala stormed back from a 0-40 deficit to break Gauff and grab a commanding 4-2 lead. 

Gauff, who has struggled with her serve as she leads the WTA Tour in double faults this 2026 by a wide margin, lost the next two games as she shot herself in the foot with seven double faults, all coming in the first set. 

Her arm patched up, Gauff fought through into the second set before her eventual retirement, marking only the second time in her career that she failed to finish a match, or first since the 2022 Cincinnati Open.

Gauff became the fourth Grand Slam champion that Eala has beaten after the world No. 32 Filipina stunned Poland’s Iga Swiatek, USA’s Madison Keys, and Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko on the way to the semifinals of the 2025 Miami Open.

Up next for Eala is world No. 14 Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic in the round of 16. 

Noskova, 21, scraped past Romania’s Sorana Cirstea, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-4, in the previous round to arrange a first-ever duel with Eala. – Rappler.com