Alex Eala has started 2026 strongly by defeating Petra Marcinko convincingly at the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand, marking her first quarterfinal appearance in a WTA Tour event.
On January 8, 2026, 20-year-old Filipina Alex Eala, ranked world No. 53, secured a 6-0, 6-2 victory over Croatia's Petra Marcinko, ranked No. 82, in the second round of the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand. This win propelled her into the quarterfinals, her first time reaching the last eight of a WTA Tour event, following early exits in four tournaments during her 2025 season—not counting her gold medal run at the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand in December.
Eala ended 2025 on a low note with four losses in five matches, including a qualifying first-round defeat at the Wuhan Open, first-round losses at the Japan Open and Guangzhou Open, and a second-round exit at the Hong Kong Tennis Open. She turned things around in 2026 with three consecutive victories: first in doubles alongside Iva Jovic, stunning Venus Williams and Elina Svitolina; then in singles, overcoming Paris Olympics silver medalist Donna Vekic in a 2-hour, 40-minute battle; and now dispatching Marcinko in just over an hour.
"I think every start of the year comes differently. New year, new story, and that goes for everybody, I think. I’m happy with how I’m starting," Eala said. She added, "I feel amazing. I’m so happy with how I was able to compete and handle the different situations on court. It’s never easy to play Petra, she’s obviously a very good player and she’s been doing really well."
In the match, Eala served a bagel in the first set by breaking Marcinko three times and rebounded from a 2-1 deficit in the second set to win the next five games. She will next face Poland's Magda Linette. In doubles, Eala and Jovic advanced to the semifinals via a walkover against Czech Republic's Jesika Maleckova and Mexico's Renata Zarazua.
