Alex Eala thrilled with crowd support in win over Vekic at Auckland

Dubai: Filipino tennis standout Alex Eala was pleasantly surprised by the overwhelming support she received during her match against Croatia’s Donna Vekic at the WTA ASB Classic in New Zealand on Tuesday.

“It’s so special,” Eala said of the many Filipinos in attendance. The match, originally scheduled for the morning, was moved to the final slot of the day. “If there’s one thing I learnt in 2025, it’s that home is the people and not the place.”

The 20-year-old Eala fended off a spirited challenge from former world No. 17 Vekic, pulling off a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory.

Eala struggled early despite taking a 3-0 lead in the opening set, having difficulty handling Vekic’s high balls. The Croatian capitalised on Eala’s late errors to take the first set. However, Eala regrouped in the second, holding firm against runs by Vekic — now the 2024 Paris Olympics silver medallist — to force a deciding set.

In the third, Eala delivered a thrilling finish, breaking serve multiple times to seal the win and stun Vekic, who has been searching for form in recent tournaments.

“She is such an experienced player — super talented and very decorated,” Eala said of her opponent.

Acknowledging her early struggles, Eala said she relished pushing through against a battle-tested rival like Vekic, currently ranked No. 69 after peaking at No. 17.

“I really had a tough time today,” Eala said. “But I’m so happy to be able to show up at this level, especially after such a tough preseason and everything that’s happened over the last month.”

The victory came on the heels of a strong showing in women’s doubles, where Eala teamed up with 18-year-old Iva Jovic to score a major upset over legends Venus Williams and Elina Svitolina, advancing to the round of 16.

Up next, Eala will face fellow 20-year-old Petra Marcinko, a former world No. 1 junior. Marcinko is also coming off an impressive three-set win over Colombia’s Camille Osorio, a former world No. 33.