Eala scores a repeat win over Vekic ahead of Aussie Open main draw

ALEXANDRA “ALEX” EALA reasserted mastery of seasoned Croatian ace Donna Vekic, 6-3, 6-4, in the Kooyong Classic in Melbourne on Wednesday at the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club ahead of her main draw debut in the Australian Open (AO) this weekend.

The 20-year-old Ms. Eala scored the repeat win in just over an hour for her final game before duking it out against the world titans in this year’s first Grand Slam at the same city slated until Feb. 1.

Ms. Eala previously beat the 29-year-old Croatian, who won a silver medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics singles, at the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand last week with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 comeback win.

That win snowballed to a final four finish after a 7-5, 5-7, 4-6 loss to China’s Wang Xinyu, her third in the WTA Tour, that should serve handy in her preparations for the big stage.

Mses. Eala and Vekic along with Ms. Xinyu are also listed in the main draw of the Philippine Women’s Open on Jan. 26 to 31 in Manila albeit the stint of the Filipina ace still hangs in the air depending on her campaign in the AO.

Her rematch with Ms. Vekic, WTA No. 70, was her lone duel in Kooyong, which only served as an exhibition tourney for invited rising and seasoned players as their final buildup for the AO, which she considers a home tourney given a rich history.

Ms. Eala, formerly world No. 2 in the girls division, netted her first Grand Slam girls doubles crown in the 2020 Australian Open before jumping to the women’s division with multiple qualifying round stints in the past as a wildcard.

The Filipina sensation this time around will play in her first AO main draw, earning a direct entry as a Top 50 player.

Ms. Eala, a proud graduate of the Rafael Nadal Academy in Spain, this week rose to No. 49 from No. 53, resetting her previous career-best at No. 50 last month in time for the AO main draw firing off on Jan. 18 after the ongoing qualifiers.

The AO this week also released a promotional video featuring Ms. Eala and her mentor Rafael Nadal, sharing what it means to play in the Australian major as one of the world’s only four Slams and the first for the season.

“For me to be able to win the junior girls doubles with a good friend of mine was such a treasured memory,” Ms. Eala beamed, recalling the historic 2020 campaign with Indonesian pal Priska Madelyn Nugroho. “It’s sort of my home slam and I have a lot of good memories there.”

Ms. Eala went to win another Slam girls doubles crown in 2021 French Open with Russian teammate Oksana Selekhmeteva but is yet to get past the second round of the women’s singles since turning pro.

She became the first Filipina winner in any Slam main draw last year in the US Open, slaying then 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (13-11) win over world No. 15 Clara Tauson of Denmark in the first round.

In AO which remains as the Slam main draw she has not played in after stints in Wimbledon and French Open, Ms. Eala definitely wants more. — John Bryan Ulanday