Alex Eala repeats over Vekic in Kooyong Classic

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Alex Eala reasserted her mastery over Olympian Donna Vekic, 6-3, 6-4, during the second game day of the ongoing Kooyong Classic tournament on Jan. 14, 2026, in Melbourne, Australia.

A week after pulling off a come-from-behind victory over the Croatian ace at the ASB Classic in New Zealand, Eala never lost a step and, this time, did it in more emphatic fashion, sweeping the Paris Olympics silver medalist.

Eala bucked an early 1-2 deficit in the opening set before taking control of the pace after scoring a crucial break point to build a 4-2 lead.

Just like her second-set wizardry in their first encounter, Eala banked on her efficient return aces whenever she saw a gap in Vekic’s sloppy second-service possessions.

All Eala needed was a step closer inside the midcourt to unload her down-the-line forehand power. When the first set reached 5-3, the 20-year-old Filipina stuck to her game plan and didn’t give Vekic any room to breathe.

Unlike their ASB Classic showdown, where numerous long rally exchanges summed up her comeback win, Eala was more precise with her shot-making and seemed more comfortable with the gusting wind factor.

Eala also utilized her backhand more—particularly in the second set—when Vekic once again took an early 2-1 advantage.

To counter Vekic’s strategy of targeting her backhand side to avoid the forehand damage, the Filipina ace decided to fight fire with fire as she stood her ground and accepted the baseline challenge.

As a result, Eala won four crucial backhand points to get out of the 1-2 slump and mounted a morale-boosting 3-0 run to build a 4-2 cushion.

Vekic tried to work Eala around the corners by throwing drop shot after drop shot, but that desperate adjustment still went to no avail as Eala’s speed in picking up off-the-bounce placements was on full display.

“It was a great match,” Eala said during her postgame interview.

“It was so much fun. I’m feeling good, this is the best I’ve ever played. I really hope to keep the momentum going.”