The loudest and largest support on Day 2 of the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open was not reserved for Naomi Osaka, the four-time Grand Slam champion and one of the biggest stars in world sport.
Instead, it was the world No 187 – competing in just her ninth WTA Tour tournament – who was the star attraction for many fans on Tuesday. She was cheered on by hordes of supporters, was stopped for selfies and autographs wherever she went, and even met with, and received flowers from, her nation’s Ambassador.
That’s what comes with being the top-ranked tennis player and rising star from the Philippines while competing in a country with a large, thriving Filipino community.
Only 18 and still in the infancy of her professional career, Alexandra Eala is not accustomed to this sort of treatment and attention, but she’s certainly been soaking it all in this week.
“It’s definitely quite new for me but in the end, I have to enjoy it,” she told The National. “I don’t know for how long I will get this attention! But I definitely view it as a strength. People have come out to support me and want me to win – maybe as much as I want to win myself.
“During the match, I try not to think about it, just focus on every point, but it’s nice to see that people are backing me.”
Eala received a wild card to compete in Abu Dhabi and was drawn against a tough first-round opponent; Magda Linette was ranked No 22 as recently as last month, is a two-time winner on the WTA Tour, and reached the Australian Open semi-finals last year.
Still, Eala gave a good account of herself, going toe-to-toe with her vastly more experienced opponent in a close first set, before Linette pulled away in the second to win 7-6, 6-1.
“I did everything I could and left everything I had on the court,” Eala said. “It’s never easy playing anyone here at the tournament, it has a really high level here so congrats to her. This was a great match to add to my portfolio and to gain experience. Overall, I’m happy and I think this loss can be a win for me in the long term.”
Eala reserved special thanks for the fans who turned out on Tuesday to support her during her match and throughout her few days in Abu Dhabi, adding: “There is a huge Filipino community here and they’ve embraced me very well. I’m really thankful for them. I know a lot of them took time off work and made the time to support me, so I’m super happy.”
Along with Eala, Osaka was also eliminated in the first round on Tuesday, the former world No 1 going down 7-5, 6-0 to American Danielle Collins.
Osaka, in the early stages of a comeback following 15 months away, firstly to focus on her mental health and then to have a baby, has been unlucky with her draws so far this season.
The Japanese player has faced a succession of top players early in the three tournaments she’s played, and contested a close first set with former world No 7 Collins before ultimately fading.
Wednesday will host the start of the second round and will begin with Russian seventh seed Daria Kasatkina against American teenager Ashlyn Krueger.
That will be followed by Brazilian sixth seed Beatriz Haddad Maia against Linette, before Greek third seed Maria Sakkari gets her tournament under way against Romania’s Sorana Cirstea.
Last and certainly not least, the day will conclude with Tunisian second seed Ons Jabeur up against Britain’s former US Open champion Emma Raducanu.
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RESULT
Esperance de Tunis 1 Guadalajara 1
(Esperance won 6-5 on penalties)
Esperance: Belaili 38’
Guadalajara: Sandoval 5’
Neighbourhood Watch
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The five stages of early child’s play
From Dubai-based clinical psychologist Daniella Salazar:
1. Solitary Play: This is where Infants and toddlers start to play on their own without seeming to notice the people around them. This is the beginning of play.
2. Onlooker play: This occurs where the toddler enjoys watching other people play. There doesn’t necessarily need to be any effort to begin play. They are learning how to imitate behaviours from others. This type of play may also appear in children who are more shy and introverted.
3. Parallel Play: This generally starts when children begin playing side-by-side without any interaction. Even though they aren’t physically interacting they are paying attention to each other. This is the beginning of the desire to be with other children.
4. Associative Play: At around age four or five, children become more interested in each other than in toys and begin to interact more. In this stage children start asking questions and talking about the different activities they are engaging in. They realise they have similar goals in play such as building a tower or playing with cars.
5. Social Play: In this stage children are starting to socialise more. They begin to share ideas and follow certain rules in a game. They slowly learn the definition of teamwork. They get to engage in basic social skills and interests begin to lead social interactions.
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7 — Michael Schumacher (1994, ’95, 2000, ’01 ’02, ’03, ’04)
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The biog
Siblings: five brothers and one sister
Education: Bachelors in Political Science at the University of Minnesota
Interests: Swimming, tennis and the gym
Favourite place: UAE
Favourite packet food on the trip: pasta primavera
What he did to pass the time during the trip: listen to audio books
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The biog
Favourite film: The Notebook
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Favourite activities: Walking on the beach, eating at restaurants and spending time with friends
Job: Founder and Managing Director of Mawaheb from Beautiful Peopl
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Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
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'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
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Where to submit a sample
Volunteers of all ages can submit DNA samples at centres across Abu Dhabi, including: Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec), Biogenix Labs in Masdar City, NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City, NMC Royal Medical Centre, Abu Dhabi, NMC Royal Women's Hospital, Bareen International Hospital, Al Towayya in Al Ain, NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Mina Al Oraibi: Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead
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Guns N’ Roses’s last gig before Abu Dhabi was in Hong Kong on November 21. We were there – and here’s what they played, and in what order. You were warned.
- It’s So Easy
- Mr Brownstone
- Chinese Democracy
- Welcome to the Jungle
- Double Talkin’ Jive
- Better
- Estranged
- Live and Let Die (Wings cover)
- Slither (Velvet Revolver cover)
- Rocket Queen
- You Could Be Mine
- Shadow of Your Love
- Attitude (Misfits cover)
- Civil War
- Coma
- Love Theme from The Godfather (movie cover)
- Sweet Child O’ Mine
- Wichita Lineman (Jimmy Webb cover)
- Wish You Were Here (instrumental Pink Floyd cover)
- November Rain
- Black Hole Sun (Soundgarden cover)
- Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan cover)
- Nightrain
Encore:
- Patience
- Don’t Cry
- The Seeker (The Who cover)
- Paradise City
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Company profile
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Sector: FinTech
Size: four team members
Stage: Intially bootstrapped but recently closed its first pre-seed round of $800,000
Investors: Wamda, VentureSouq, Beyond Capital and regional angel investors
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