Alex Eala faces Donna Vekic in ASB Classic debut

AUCKLAND, New Zealand — Filipina tennis star Alexandra “Alex” Eala will kick off her 2026 WTA season with a high-stakes clash against Croatia’s Donna Vekic in the first round of the ASB Classic, set to run January 5–11 in Auckland.

Eala, 20, enters the main draw as the tournament’s fourth seed and is ranked No. 53 in the world. This will be her first professional meeting against the 29-year-old Vekic, an Olympic silver medalist and four-time WTA singles champion who peaked at No. 17 and is currently ranked No. 69.

The match schedule has yet to be finalized as qualifiers are still underway.

Eala is also set to compete in the doubles event with American partner Iva Jovic. The pair will open against a marquee duo: seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams of the United States and current world No. 14 Elina Svitolina of Ukraine.

Jovic, 16, is ranked No. 35 in the WTA singles rankings and enters the ASB Classic as the tournament’s third seed. Svitolina and American Emma Navarro (No. 15) are seeded first and second, respectively.

The ASB Classic marks the beginning of what is expected to be a packed early season for Eala, who is coming off a landmark 2025 campaign. Last year, she broke into the WTA Top 100 for the first time, secured her maiden WTA 125 title, and captured her first Southeast Asian Games gold medal.

Following Auckland, Eala will participate in the Kooyong Classic exhibition event in Australia before heading to Melbourne for the Australian Open, which runs from January 18 to February 1.

Eala has also been awarded a wildcard slot to compete in the 2026 Philippine Women’s Open — the country’s first WTA 125 tournament — scheduled for January 26 at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center. Her participation will depend on her Australian Open performance, as both tournaments may overlap.

Indonesia’s Janice Tjen, another Southeast Asian contender and fellow Australian Open participant, also received a wildcard to the Manila event.

Despite Eala’s potential absence, the Philippine Women’s Open is expected to feature top-tier talent. Leading the field is Donna Vekic, who is confirmed to compete, along with world No. 45 Tatjana Maria of Germany.

The Philippine Tennis Association (PHILTA) and the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) released a provisional list of 24 players for the 32-player draw. Other confirmed participants include China’s Xinyu Wang and Yue Yuan, Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva, Colombia’s Camila Osorio, Switzerland’s Simona Waltert, New Zealand’s Lulu Sun, Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima, and Australia’s Kimberly Berrell.

“22 days to go before WTA 125. So no Christmas break, no New Year break. No holiday break. Everybody’s here, PHILTA is here, [PSC] Commissioners, PSC people are here,” said PSC chairman Pato Gregorio in a statement.

“We’re all here just to make sure we transform Rizal Tennis [Center] as a showcase for the first-ever hosting of the WTA 125 in Manila.”

Refurbishment of the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex is underway in preparation for the event, which aims to position the Philippines as a future hub for international tennis.

Eala’s 2026 campaign, beginning with the ASB Classic, sets the stage for a season that could surpass even her record-breaking achievements of the previous year.