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| Philippine tennis star Alex Eala. Photo: POC Media. |
The Filipina ace opens her 2026 campaign at the WTA 250 ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand, where she enters as the tournament’s No. 4 seed. First up? A legit early test against Croatia’s Donna Vekic, the Paris Olympics silver medalist, in a round-of-32 showdown set for Monday, not before 6:00 a.m. Manila time.
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| Croatia’s Donna Vekic. Photo: Gepa/Panoramic. |
Ranked No. 53 in the world, Eala arrives in Auckland fresh off a feel-good close to 2025, highlighted by her gold-medal run at the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand. That momentum now carries over into a crucial stretch that leads directly to her Australian Open debut later this month.
Think of Auckland as the perfect warm-up, competitive, fast-paced, and unforgiving, exactly the kind of stage Eala needs heading into her first Grand Slam main draw, scheduled to begin January 18 in Melbourne. She’ll also squeeze in one more tune-up at the Kooyong Classic on January 13, an exhibition that traditionally sharpens players before the Open grind.
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| Eala won a gold medal in the recent SEA Games. Photo: POC. |
This will be Eala’s first-ever meeting with Vekic, a seasoned tour veteran who once peaked at world No. 17 and owns four WTA singles titles. Experience is on Vekic’s side, but Eala has proven she thrives when the spotlight gets brighter. Just ask Guadalajara, where she captured her first WTA 125 title last September.
New year. Bigger stage. Same fearless Alex. And yes, Filipino fans are locked in.
