Alex Eala made it two wins in a row against Olympic silver medalist Donna Vekic, picking up a repeat victory at the Kooyong Classic.
Same matchup, same result for Alex Eala as she scored a repeat win over Paris 2024 Olympics silver medalist Donna Vekic in their Kooyong Classic exhibition, 6-3, 6-4, in Melbourne, Australia on Wednesday.
Barely a week since Eala won over Vekic in the first round of the ASB Classic, the Filipina ace displayed improved form as she looks to fine-tune her play ahead of the 2026 Australian Open.
Eala caught fire towards the end of the first set, ending with an ace to take the opener, 6-3.
Then in the second set, Eala battled back from being down 1-2 and cruised to victory.
Eala racked up seven straight points tie the match at 2-all, which she later followed with an eight-point run to take control of the set, 4-2.
After failing to close out in Game 7, Eala held her serve to take a 5-3 lead over Vekic, much to the delight of the pro-Filipino crowd in Melbourne.
Even as Vekic held her own serve to pull one back, Eala won her next service game to complete the victory.
Including this exhibition, it's been a tremendous start to 2026 for Eala, winning four of her first five singles matches entering the Australian Open.
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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.