Alexandra Eala should depart the ASB Classic full of hope after another deep run, but the manner of her exit will surely sting.
After all, the 20-year-old seemed well on track to cruise into her second-ever tour-level WTA final, yet somehow conspired to lose against an admittedly inspired Wang Xinyu.
Serving for the match, having won the first set 7-5, few would have bet against Alexandra Eala’s safe passage into the final in Auckland.
Alas, she was broken, even seeing a match point come and go as her Chinese opponent rallied.
Once she had lost that second set by another 5-7 margin, it felt as though the writing was on the wall.
Wang Xinyu calls Alexandra Eala a ‘fighter’
However, all is not lost for Eala, whose search for a first title on the WTA tour goes on.
And, she can leave Auckland safe in the knowledge that she is more than capable of competing on the biggest stages against some of the world’s best, reaffirming the notion that she established in 2025.
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Xinyu certainly felt this way, as she spoke on-court afterwards: “Yeah, it was a crazy battle from the start to the end for sure. She’s an absolute fighter, and to be honest, I feel more pressure when I’m 5-0 up than when we are love love.
“I’m just really, really happy that I got through this one today and through to my first ever final.”
Hilariously, this is Xinyu’s second career final, and her team was pictured frantically gesturing to remind her of this after her mid-speech blunder.
Alexandra Eala’s next event will not be the Australian Open
Whilst most players will head straight to Melbourne after the ASB Classic, Eala is taking a slightly different route.
Instead, she has one extra event to play before she participates in the first Grand Slam event of the season: The Kooyong Classic.
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Credit: Sofascore
An exhibition event held right before the Australian Open, she will compete in a women’s field that admittedly pales in comparison to the men’s.
Whilst Eala is arguably the biggest draw on the WTA side, stars like Alexander Zverev, Nick Kyrgios, Frances Tiafoe and more will compete as ATP representatives.
This event takes place from the 13th to the 15th of January, with the Australian Open main draw matches then commencing on the 18th.
