WTA Dubai: Magda Linette defeats seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova to advance to the round of 16

Magda Linette continues her successful run at the WTA 1000 tournament in Dubai. After previously eliminating Lulu Sun, the Polish player faced a much tougher challenge. Her opponent was Ekaterina Alexandrova, ranked 10th in the world. The first set was a showcase of the 34-year-old Poznań native's game, as she quickly took a 4-0 lead, ultimately winning the set 6-2. Although the Russian player managed to recover and win the second set 6-4, the deciding set once again belonged to the Pole. Linette dominated her rival, allowing her to win just one game. The historical head-to-head record favored the Pole, who had won their previous encounter in Miami. The victory in Dubai is considered one of the bigger upsets of the current edition of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, especially considering that Alexandrova was one of the favorites for the title. Linette impressed primarily with her precise serve and mental resilience in the key moments of the third set. Thanks to this win, the Pole earned valuable WTA ranking points, which will allow her to improve her current 47th position. Since its inauguration in 2001, the Dubai tournament has become one of the most lucrative and prestigious stops on the women's tennis calendar, reflecting the growing importance of the Middle East in professional sports.Magda Linette's next obstacle will be Clara Tauson. The Dane, currently ranked 15th, is known for her powerful serve and extremely offensive style of play. For the Pole, this will be a chance to advance to her first quarterfinal of such high caliber this season. Meanwhile, higher up in the draw, Elena Rybakina is taking advantage of the absence of top players, confidently defeating Kimberly Birrell and stating her aspirations to claim the world No. 2 ranking. This year's edition of the competition in the Emirates is marked by numerous withdrawals of injured players, opening up opportunities for players from the second tier. „I will have to watch out primarily for my opponent's serve. The Dane has been impressive in this aspect of the game from the start of the tournament.” — Magda Linette[{"side1": "Magda Linette", "side2": "Ekaterina Alexandrova", "score1": 2, "score2": 1, "round": "Round of 32"}]61 minutes — the duration of the Pole's decisive clash with the Russian player in terms of actual playing time[{"dataISO": "2026-02-18", "date": "February 18, 2026", "event": "Round of 16 match: Linette vs Tauson"}, {"dataISO": "2026-02-21", "date": "February 21, 2026", "event": "Dubai tournament final"}]