Alex Eala will be tested in her opening match of the 2026 season as the SEA Games 2025 gold medalist will face off against world no. 69 Donna Vekic at the ASB Classic.
Alex Eala will face stiff competition in her first match of the 2026 season, drawn with world no. 69 Donna Vekic in the first round of the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand, beginning on Monday, January 5.
Last seeing action at the Macau Tennis Masters where she faced off against world no. 9 Mirra Andreeva in an exhibition match, Eala will be among the favored players in the tournament as the 4-seed.
In the ASB Classic, Eala will see a field that feature multiple familiar faces — including Indonesia’s Janice Tjen, who narrowly missed a SEA Games 2025 gold medal match with Alex due to a retirement in the semis.
Other former Eala foes include Katie Boulter, Varvara Gracheva, and Panna Udvardy. Eala’s former doubles partner Renata Zarazua is also included while Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina, a former world no. 3, is the top seed of the tournament.
But the biggest name of the pack is Wild Card entrant Venus Williams — whom Eala can meet in the quarterfinals if they win their respective Round of 32 and Round of 16 matches.
Her sister Serena Williams won the tournament in 2020, while Venus herself claimed the title in 2015.
Defending champion Clara Tauson, whom Eala beat in the US Open main draw, will not be seeing action.
Eala faces off against Vekic for the first time in her career on Monday at 6:00 a.m. (PH time).
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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.