Mirra Andreeva missed out on the first day of action at the Macau Tennis Masters owing to an illness, but returned to face Alex Eala in women’s singles.
Mirra Andreeva had nothing but kind words to say to Filipino rival Alex Eala after they battled it out at the Macau Tennis Masters at the Macao Forum on Sunday.
Andreeva, the current WTA no. 9, returned to action for Team Conchita after missing the first day of competition due to an illness. She beat Eala in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2.
After surging past Eala, which marked their first meeting since the 2022 US Open Girls’ Singles quarterfinals, Andreeva expressed her thanks to Alex for “taking it easy” especially since she still isn’t fully recovered from her illness.
“I feel better than yesterday, but I really have to thank Alex for taking it easy on me today, because otherwise I felt like I wouldn't stand a chance against her. So, yeah, today was tough, but definitely better than yesterday,” Andreeva said during the on court interview.
[RELATED: Alex Eala falls to world no. 9 Mirra Andreeva at Macau Tennis Masters]
Though getting the step on Eala, it was obvious that Andreeva was still under the weather, especially in the second set when fatigue started to set in.
Build up for Down Under
While Andreeva did gain the upper hand on Eala in the match, it was still not a formal meeting on the WTA Tour, with the Macau invitational being an exhbition.
But as far as the Russian star is concerned, it was a good chance to get some games in before the first Grand Slam of the year as both Andreeva and Eala are listed in the main draw of the 2026 Australian Open.
“Of course, these kind of tournaments are a great preparation for Australia,” said Andreeva.
“And it's also important to have some fun on the court as well at the same time. And I felt like today with Alex, we had a lot of fun,” she continued.
Andreeva’s win over Eala clinched the Macau Tennis Masters victory for Conchita Martinez’ group, having accumulated eight points against Team Li Na’s two.
Eala’s teammates, Jerry Shang and Ugo Humbert, hope to put themselves on the board as they play two more matches in men’s singles against Yibing Wu and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, respectively, to wrap up the competition.
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Luisa Morales is a sports writer with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.
Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team, and mixed martial arts.