Who is Alex Eala’s next opponent at Abu Dhabi Open? Belarusian who upset Paula Badosa

Ewan West 03 Feb 2026 12:30 PM

Alex Eala with Aliaksandra Sasnovich inset

Alex Eala started her campaign at the 2026 Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open with a straight sets victory, and her second round opponent has been revealed.

The world No 45 defeated Zeynep Sonmez, a 23-year-old Turk ranked 79th, 6-4, 6-3 in the opening round of the WTA 500 tournament on Monday.

The 20-year-old Filipina is competing as a wildcard in Abu Dhabi, where she is making her second appearance after her debut in 2024.

Eala will take on Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the second round in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday.

Who is Aliaksandra Sasnovich?

Aliaksandra Sasnovich was born in Minsk, Belarus on 22 March, 1994, and she comes from a family with a sporting tradition.

Her mother Natalia was a basketball player, while her father Aliaksandr played hockey and tennis for 20 years on the senior circuit. She was introduced to tennis by her father and began playing at the age of nine.

According to Sasnovich’s bio on her WTA profile, her favourite surface is indoor hard-court, her favourite shot is her backhand down the line, and her favourite tournaments are the US Open and Stuttgart.

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Aliaksandra Sasnovich’s career

Sasnovich holds a 174-178 (49.4%) record in main draw WTA Tour level matches, while she holds a 124-61 (67%) record at ITF level.

The 31-year-old has not won a WTA Tour title, but she is a five-time runner-up on the main tour, having lost one WTA 500 final (Brisbane in 2018) and four WTA 250 finals (Korea in 2015, Melbourne and Cleveland in 2022, Budapest in 2024).

The Belarusian was also a finalist at a Challenger event in Limoges in 2019, while she won 11 ITF Circuit titles between 2011 and 2014.

Sasnovich’s joint-best Grand Slam results are reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon in 2018 and the French Open in 2022.

She has recorded six wins against opponents ranked in the top 10: Karoline Pliskova in Tokyo (2016), Petra Kvitova at Wimbledon (2018), Kiki Bertens in Moscow (2018), Elina Svitolina in Brisbane (2019), Daria Kasatkina in Sydney (2019), and Serena Williams at Wimbledon via retirement (2021).

Currently ranked 109th, Sasnovich reached her career-high ranking position of world No 29 in September 2022.

Aliaksandra Sasnovich’s Abu Dhabi campaign

Sasnovich entered the main draw in Abu Dhabi as a lucky loser after she lost to Sonay Kartal in the final round of qualifying, having beaten Priscilla Hon in the first qualifying round.

In the opening round of the main draw, Sasnovich upset No 8 seed and former world No 2 Paula Badosa 6-4, 3-6, 6-1.