Alexandra Eala fought from a set down against Donna Vekic on Tuesday to claim her first singles win of the 2026 WTA season.
Eala recently paired with Iva Jovic to defeat Venus Williams and her partner in women’s doubles, and she continued her good form at the ASB Classic on Tuesday.
Eala defeated Vekic 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 and will play Croatia’s Petra Marčinko in the next round.
How high do you think Alexandra Eala’s ceiling is?
The 20-year-old, who practised with Rafael Nadal during the off-season, will look to build on this performance after her breakout 2025 season, in which she became the first Filipina in history to break into the WTA top 50.
Following Tuesday’s contest, Eala discussed why she felt ‘proud.’
Alexandra Eala reflects on her victory against Donna Vekic
The 20-year-old star began by paying tribute to the large contingent Filipino fans in the Auckland crowd.
“It’s so special,” Eala said of the crowd.
“If there’s one thing I learned in 2025 it’s that home is the people and not the place. Thank you everyone.”
Eala was then asked to pinpoint what she was ‘most proud’ of.
“Like you said, she’s such an experienced player and super talented and definitely very decorated,” Eala continued.
“I really had a tough time today but I’m most happy about being able to compete and show up at the level like this, especially after such a tough preseason and so many things that have happened over the past month, so I’m proud about that, yeah.”
What could stop Alexandra Eala from finishing 2026 inside the top 20?
Eala’s path to the ASB Classic final
If Eala defeats Petra Marčinko in the round of 16, she will face Elisabetta Cocciaretto or Magda Linette in the quarter-finals.
Linette, the world number 52, defeated Venus Williams earlier on Tuesday.
In the semi-finals, Eala could face Fran Jones, Sinja Kraus, Xinyu Wang or Renata Zarazua.
With Jones’ [picture below] victory against second seed Emma Navarro on Monday, Eala now has a great opportunity to capture her first WTA title at the 250 level.
Eala won her first WTA title at the Guadalajara Open last year, although this was a Challenger event.
Should Eala reach the final, she will likely face Elina Svitolina or Iva Jovic, who are the first and third seeds in Auckland.
