FILIPINA tennis ace Alex Eala reminded the tennis world of her gutsy spirit, completing a full-set comeback win against the veteran Croatian standout Donna Vekic, in a grueling 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 match in the first round of the 2026 ASB Classic in New Zealand.
Powered by the unwavering support of the Filipino crowd in attendance, Eala pulled off a performance for the ages as she exhibited a stunning display of shotmaking in the clutch to overpower the seasoned veteran at the Centre Court at Manuka Doctor Arena, Auckland.
“She’s such an experienced player and super talented and definitely very decorated. So, I really had a tough time today,” Eala uttered after her match against Vekic that lasted two hours and 40 minutes.
“But I’m most happy about being able to compete and show up at a level like this, especially after such a tough preseason and so many things that have happened over the past month. So, I’m proud of that,” she added.
The Southeast Asian Games gold medalist did not disappoint in her first singles match of the 2026 calendar season, starting the game with a 3-0 advantage.
But Vekic, the Paris Olympics silver medalist, quickly flipped the script in the latter half of the opening set as she snatched the lead from the hands of Eala to eventually bag the 4-6 set win.
Determined to bounce back, the 20-year-old Eala turned on the jets in the next frame, firing from all sides of the court to notch a 5-3 second-set lead. Vekic tried to claw her way back into the game, but Alex ended the canto with a win in the 10th game.
It was then a back-and-forth action in the last set, with both players giving all they got in every swing, but it was Eala who prevailed in the decider. First, Eala broke the 3-3 deadlock after returning Vekic’s service. She followed it up with a tricky cross-court hit to gain a 5-3 advantage.
The current world No. 53 put on the finishing touches with her fiery serves, clinching the important seventh game to go up, 4-3, and a solid smash that caused Vekic’s return to go straight to the net.
Eala is now set to take on the 20-year-old Croatian Petra Marcinko in the round of 16 of the tournament.
Before this game, Eala, together with her American tandem Iva Jovic, smashed an astounding upset win against the veteran duo of multi-time world champion Venus Williams and Elina Svitolina, 7-6, 6-1 in round 16 of the ASB Classic women’s doubles.