Alexandra Eala opened her 2026 season on a strong note Tuesday, rallying for a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Donna Vekic in the first round of the ASB Classic.

The day before, the 20-year-old Filipina had already recorded what she called a “highlight of my career,” pairing with Iva Jovic to defeat Elina Svitolina and Venus Williams 7-6(7), 6-1 in the first round of doubles. The quality of that match — and the thrill of playing alongside a close friend against two of the game’s biggest names — stuck with Eala so much that she rewatched the highlights back at her hotel and drew on them for inspiration when she returned to the court for singles.

Vekic, who has slipped to No. 69 in the PIF WTA Rankings after a 14-23 season in 2025, played a strong opening set, ripping a series of forehand winners and winning six of the final seven games after trailing 3-0. But No. 4 seed Eala steadied herself to start the second set, quickly regaining control and producing one of the points of the year so far to break for a 2-0 lead with outstanding defensive play.

Both players traded momentum throughout a tight second set that kept the Auckland crowd engaged. Vekic mounted a late push, saving two set points at 5-3 with clean winners and breaking back to stay in it, but Eala responded well and broke the Croatian again to close out the set.

Eala also served for the match at 5-3 in the decider, only for a similar pattern to repeat thanks to an untimely double fault. Once again, though, Vekic — whose forehand’s reliability had plummeted since the first set — was unable to level the scoreline despite having broken back. On her first match point, Eala pummeled her own forehand into the corner to seal a dramatic victory.

Since her breakthrough run to last year’s Miami semifinals, Eala has received strong support from Filipino fans as she continues to establish herself on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz. That presence was felt again in New Zealand. After more than 2 hours and 40 minutes on court, she acknowledged the backing in her postmatch interview.

“If there’s one thing I learned in 2025, it’s that home is the people and not the place,” she said, making a heart sign with her hands.

Eala’s next test will be a first-time encounter with another Croatian, and another 2005-born junior Grand Slam champion. No. 82-ranked Petra Marcinko also won a barnburner, coming from 4-2 down in the third set to defeat Camila Osorio 6-4, 0-6, 7-6(2) and notching her first tour-level win since Monastir 2023. Both Marcinko and Eala won their junior majors in 2022, with Marcinko capturing the Australian Open and Eala the US Open.

Earlier, there were mixed fortunes for both Svitolina and Williams. No. 1 seed Svitolina, the 2024 finalist, was near-flawless in dismissing Varvara Gracheva 6-3, 6-1 in just 76 minutes. The Ukrainian’s performance included a run of 15 straight points, and 18 of the last 20, in the second set. She’ll next face British wild card Katie Boulter.

However, the wild card Williams, the 2015 champion, fell 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 to No. 5 seed Magda Linette in 2 hours and 12 minutes. The pair last played a decade ago, with Williams winning a three-setter in the second round of Stanford 2016. The 45-year-old Williams picked up where she left off, turning back the clock with a series of brilliant backhand winners in the early stages of the match.

But the Pole withstood those blows and managed the scoreboard impeccably. She scored the first two breaks of the match, with Williams committing unforced errors down break point both times, en route to taking the first set. In the decider, Linette fended off two break points down 2-1 before reeling off the last five games as Williams faded.