With hot start and furious finish, Eala gains quarterfinal slot in Auckland
Alex Eala advanced to the third quarterfinals of her WTA career on Thursday after dominating Croatia’s Petra Marcinko, 6-0, 6-2, in the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand, where the fourth-ranked Filipino faces Magda Linette of Poland.
The 20-year-old was nothing short of brilliant in the 63-minute match as she sealed the win in pretty much the same way she started the match—by winning a string of games.
“I am just happy with the way I am playing,” Eala said during the on-court interview as she continues to sizzle in the new year after ending 2025 with the first-ever women’s singles gold medal for the Philippines in the Southeast Asian Games in 32 years.
Like a lot of stars, Eala is using this tournament to sharpen up for the Australian Open, where she has a main draw slot, being ranked 53rd in the world.
Eala actually won the first seven games before trailing for the only time at 2-1 when Marcinko broke her. But Eala, a clear crowd-favorite wherever she plays, rebounded from that by winning the last five games to be safely into the next round.
Linette, the fifth seed, turned back Italy’s Elisabetta Cocciaretto in a 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 marathon.
Also in doubles quarters
Eala remains on a collision course with top-seeded Elina Svitolina, who scored a 7-5, 6-4 win over wild card Katie Boulter. They could end up clashing in the title match.
“Katie is a great fighter, so I was expecting a tough match,” Svitolina, the 13th-ranked player in the world, told AP.
Eala already owns a win over Svitolina in Auckland, when she partnered with American Iva Jovic to score a 7-6, 6-1 win over Svitolina and Venus Williams in the doubles four days ago.
Eala and Jovic are also in the doubles quarterfinals, with their match against Czechia’s Jesika Maleckova and Mexico’s Renata Zarazua slated for Friday.
