World No. 4 and reigning French Open champion Coco Gauff apologized to Alex Eala‘s fans after her match lasted more than two hours, which left the Pinay’s supporters waiting.
The American tennis player had a scheduled match before the Filipina at the Dubai Tennis Championships, defeating Belgium’s Elise Mertens in two hours and 18 minutes.
The long match reportedly left the audience frustrated, as they were eager to see Alex play.
Footage of Coco being interviewed after her match surfaced online on Thursday, February 19, where she acknowledged Alex’s fans.
“I know you guys are probably here for Alex [Eala], so I’m sorry to make you wait,” she said.
“But if I’m not mistaken, I think some of you guys were cheering for me, so I appreciate it a lot,” Coco added.
“I hope you guys enjoy the next match, but thank you for cheering for me for now!” she continued.
“The whole match, it wasn’t going my way. But I tried to stay in it. I fought for every point. I’m happy today that I was able to get the result, and I heard some cheers for me,” the American added.
Coco Gauff to the Alex Eala fans after her win over Mertens in Dubai
“I know you guys are probably here for Alex so I’m sorry to make you wait. 😭 If I’m not mistaken I think some of you guys are cheering for me so I appreciate it a lot” 😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/C1eIVKv4ww
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) February 18, 2026
The footage drew the attention of Filipinos, who quickly took a liking to Coco’s acknowledgment of the Pinay tennis sensation.
“Are we adopting another tennis star? She plays good and her personality seems even better,” an online user commented.
“Girl, you’re pinsan now,” another Pinoy quipped.
“That’s pinsan Coco Marie Batumbakal Gauff,” a different online user quipped.
“She’s now our distant cousin!!” another Pinoy commented.
“Oh, she’s getting ADOPTED by Filipinos, for sure,” another said.
“Whoever is a friend of Alex is a friend of the Filipino crowd,” a different Pinoy commented.
Coco played on the court before Alex, who had a match against Romania’s Sorana Cîrstea, the World No. 32.
The Pinay advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating Sorana in a match that lasted one hour and 38 minutes.
Alex, World No. 47, eventually bowed out to Coco in the quarterfinals.
Despite the loss, the Pinay exited to loud cheers from the crowd.
“I know you were mostly supporting Alex. But I have to say, it is great to be on a crowded court,” Coco said in an interview.
“Whenever you guys were cheering for Alex, I was pretending that it was my name. And I think that it helped me a lot. If you can’t beat them, you’ve got to join them,” she added, laughing.
It was the first meeting between the two since they teamed up as partners at the Italian Open in 2025.