Home-like crowd fuels Alex Eala’s thrilling comeback win over Vekic

MANILA, Philippines – As usual, chants of “Alex” echoed through the stands as Filipino tennis star Alex Eala faced the crowd, fresh off a stirring round of 32 comeback win over Donna Vekic of Croatia, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, at the WTA ASB Classic in New Zealand on Tuesday, January 6.

Carried by the crowd through nearly three grueling hours, Eala pulled through to clinch a spot in the round of 16 in an Auckland victory that made her feel like home.

“It’s so special,” Eala said of the many Filipinos who watched the match, which was initially scheduled in the morning but was moved to be the day’s finale. “If there’s one thing I learned in 2025, it’s that home is the people and not the place.”

Eala shrugged off a slow start, which saw her struggle with high balls, after starting 3-0 in the opener. Vekic then capitalized on the Filipino’s errors late to capture an early lead. 

The 20-year-old Eala then brushed off Vekic’s runs from there, holding off the 2024 Paris Olympics silver medalist in the latter stages of the second set to force a decider.

The Filipino eked out the victory in thrilling fashion in the third set as Eala wrapped up the win, breaking serve multiple times and stunning Vekic, who has been on a slump in her past tournaments. 

“She is such an experienced player and super talented, and really very decorated,” Eala said. 

Eala acknowledged the early struggles but relished pushing past them against a battle-tested opponent like Vekic, who’s currently ranked No. 69 after peaking at No. 17 in the world rankings. 

“I really had a tough time today,” she said. “But I’m so happy to be able to show up in a level like this, especially after such a tough preseason and all the so many things that happened over the last month.”

The win came after Eala opened her women’s doubles campaign alongside 18-year-old partner Iva Jovic with a huge triumph over legends Venus Williams and Elina Svitolina to advance to the round of 16.  

Eala will face fellow 20-year-old Petra Marčinko, a former world No. 1 junior, in the next round. 

Marčinko is also coming off an impressive three-set win against Colombia’s Camille Osorio, a former world No. 33 player. 

The tournament serves as a prelude to the Australian Open, where Eala will compete in the main draw for the first time in her career. – Rappler.com