AUCKLAND — Filipina ace Alexandra Eala launched her 2026 campaign with a statement win, teaming up with American teenager Iva Jović to eliminate a marquee pairing of Venus Williams and Elina Svitolina in the women’s doubles of the ASB Classic on Monday.
Eala and Jović outlasted the star-studded duo in the Round of 16 at Center Court, pulling off a straight-sets victory, 7–6(9), 6–1, to book a quarterfinal berth in the WTA 250 tournament.
The opening set turned into a tense battle that went to a tiebreak, where Eala and Jović held their nerve to edge the veterans. They then seized momentum in the second set, breaking serve early and widening the gap with composed baseline play and sharp net coverage.
Match data underscored the upset, with Eala and Jović posting superior first-serve percentages and capitalizing on break-point chances to keep Williams and Svitolina at bay before closing the contest efficiently.
The Auckland event serves as a key tune-up for the Australian Open, and the breakthrough win gives Eala and Jović early-season momentum against elite competition.
“Thank you so much for supporting me and Iva, I had such a good time on court,” said Eala, a Victorias City, Negros Occidental native, in a post-game interview.
“I think we had a lot of fun and just to start the year with such a moment like this and sharing the court with two pioneers of the court, and pioneers off the court as well — people I looked up to since I was young so I’m so happy to be able to share this moment with you and all of you guys,” she added.
The 20-year-old Eala is also entered in the singles draw and is set to open her campaign against Croatia’s Donna Vekić./PN
