Tennis: Alex Eala repeats over Vekić in last warmup before Australian Open

January 15 ------ Filipina tennis star Alex Eala aced her final match before the Australian Open, scoring an emphatic win against Donna Vekić in an exhibition match. Eala swept the Croatian Vekić, 6-3, 6-4, at the 2026 Kooyong Classic in Melbourne.

This is Eala's second win over Vekić this year, having beaten her in three sets in the first round of the WTA 125 ASB Classic in Auckland last January 6. The Kooyong Classic, a traditional warm-up event ahead of the Australian Open, provided another valuable test for Eala who continued to fine-tune her game against tough opposition.

The 29-year-old Vekić, who is currently ranked 70th by the WTA, was the silver medalist in the 2025 Olympic Games in Paris and has four WTA singles titles to her name. WTA No. 49 Eala will now turn her attention to the Australian Open, where she is set to make her main draw debut.

Source: news.abs-cbn.com