Eala overpowers Croatian foe to punch ASB Classic quarterfinal ticket

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Alex Eala handed Croatia’s Petra Marcinko an overwhelming beatdown, 6-0, 6-2, to advance to the quarterfinal round of the ongoing WTA ASB Classic tournament on Jan. 8, 2026, in Auckland, New Zealand.

Fresh off an exhausting come-from-behind Round of 32 win over Donna Vekic, Eala showed no signs of slowing down after dropping the early hammer on Marcinko in the opening set.

The Filipina ace pulled off a flawless performance in just 22 minutes to blank Marcinko as she banked on a combination of deadly groundstrokes and an on-point volley game.

Despite a heavy-serving start from the Croatian, Eala was able to crack the return code, countering the gusting wind conditions and Marcinko’s kick serve with flat-stroke usage.

From a semi-western forehand grip, Eala had to devise a plan and stay away from her comfort zone, resulting in a flat-grip return that changed the complexion of the match in the third game of the set.

Eala then schooled Marcinko in the last two games of the set with her signature down-the-line baseline winners, backstopped by an efficient service hold to wrap up the opener with a 6-0 finish.

However, Marcinko showed some signs of life after scoring an early break to grab a 2-1 lead, bolstered by a more consistent rally approach that dragged Eala out of the net area.

Just when Marcinko thought she could sustain her momentum, Eala had seen enough and broke back to equalize at 2-all, followed by a hold and another break to pull away at 4-2.

Fans who flocked to Auckland gave Eala a standing ovation in the seventh game of the set after she scored possibly the best point of the ASB Classic so far, when she managed to turn garbage into gold during a wild sequence.

Marcinko was already on pace to secure a down-the-line point, but the focused Eala beat the double-bounce violation by sliding her feet laterally to fire an off-the-bounce forehand flick.

To her surprise, Marcinko failed to prepare back in her hitting stance and could only watch the pumped-up Eala throw her fists in the air.

That then proved to be the final nail in the coffin as Eala dominated the next baseline exchanges, en route to a 40-0 advantage in the last game of the set.

“I feel amazing,” Eala said during her post-game interview.

“I’m so happy with how I was able to compete and handle the different situations on the court. It’s never easy to play Petra. She’s a very good player. I’m happy with how I played.”

Awaiting Eala in the tournament’s quarterfinal round is former World No. 19 Magda Linette of Poland, who earlier survived a three-set battle against Elisabetta Cocciaretto.