WASTING no time to get back in action, Alex Eala is greeting the 2026 tennis calendar as the fourth seed in the WTA 250 ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand, on Monday.
She will open her campaign against Donna Vekic, WTA No. 69 of Croatia and Paris Olympics silver medalist, in the round of 32, not before 6:00 AM, Manila time.
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The 20-year-old Filipino, ranked No. 53 in the world, is fresh from a successful 2025 Southeast Asian Games in Thailand, where she won a gold medal for the Philippines.
The Auckland Open stint will be Eala’s first training ground, as she prepares for the year’s first Grand Slam, the Australian Open, where she is set to make her debut not before January 18.
Eala only began qualifying for Grand Slam events in mid-2025 following a breakthrough run at the Miami Open, where a string of upset victories propelled her into the WTA top 100.
Ahead of the Australian Open, Eala is also scheduled to compete in the Kooyong Classic, an exhibition tournament in Melbourne, on January 13.
While it will be the first time for the two players to meet on the court, Vekic boasts a career-high No. 17 ranking and four singles titles in the professional ranks.
Eala, for her part, has a maiden WTA 125 title she won in Guadalajara last September.
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