Alex Eala falls to Wang Xinyu in ASB Classic semifinal

Dubai: Filipino tennis star Alex Eala saw her impressive run at the ASB Classic come to an end on Saturday, falling to China’s Wang Xinyu in a gruelling three-set semifinal marathon at the Manuka Doctor Arena in Auckland.

The 20-year-old Eala, currently ranked No. 53 in the world, displayed her trademark resilience before ultimately succumbing to the seventh-seeded Wang, 7-5, 5-7, 4-6, in a match that lasted more than two hours.

The defeat marked a bittersweet start to the 2026 season for Eala, who entered the tournament following a historic 2025 campaign that saw her break into the WTA Top 100 and capture her maiden Southeast Asian Games gold medal.

A battle of momentum

The opening set appeared to be slipping away from Eala early as she fell into a 1-5 hole, struggling to find her rhythm against the 24-year-old Wang. However, Eala staged a remarkable turnaround, reeling off six consecutive games and capitalising on a double fault from Wang to steal the first set, 7-5.

The momentum stayed with the Filipina well into the second set, where she established a 5-3 lead and stood on the verge of her first WTA 250 final. Wang, however, regained her composure, winning four straight games to level the match and force a deciding third set.

“That was a crazy battle from the start to the end,” Wang said after the match. “Alex is such a fighter and I feel the pressure even when it’s [5-1] up. She just relaxed and she started to play amazing tennis.”

Physical toll

The physical demands of the week appeared to catch up with Eala in the third set. Trailing 0-3, she took a medical timeout to address a back issue. Though she returned to the court and fought back from a 0-4 deficit to bring the score to 4-5, Wang found the finishing touches needed to close out the match.

The loss capped a busy week for Eala in Auckland, which included a straight-sets quarterfinal victory over Poland’s Magda Linette. Earlier in the tournament, Eala and her American partner Iva Jovic also exited the women’s doubles semifinals following a 5-7, 3-6 defeat to the Chinese pair Xu Yifan and Yang Zhaoxuan.

Eala later reflected on her campaign in a post on Instagram, writing, “’Til my heart stops. So close yet so far,” before thanking the host city for its support. “Thank you Auckland for the warmest hospitality to start the year. Truly felt the wairua,” she added.