Filipina tennis star Alexandra Eala barely allowed the clock to catch its breath at the ASB Classic on Thursday, needing just 63 minutes to dismantle Croatia’s Petra Marcinko 6-0, 6-2 and stride into the quarterfinals of the WTA 250 event, her first of the 2026 season.
The match was effectively over almost as soon as it began. Eala seized the Auckland hard court with authority, racing through the opening set without surrendering a game, her footwork light and her timing unforgiving. Marcinko was given no space to settle, no invitation to linger.
There was a brief pause in the rhythm early in the second set, the only moment when the contest hinted at resistance. Marcinko held serve and then pressed hard in the following game, pushing Eala to 0-40. It was the kind of juncture that can stretch a match or snap it shut.
Eala, the world No. 53, chose the latter, holding firm, restoring order, and quietly breaking her 20-year-old opponent’s resolve.
Aggression remains the spine of Eala’s game, now paired with a growing sense of control. She pulled the trigger when openings were clear and resisted when patience was required, a balance still being shaped by the 20-year-old Filipina but already proving effective against rising opposition.
She is seeded number 4 in the women’s singles event of this tournament previously known as the Auckland Open. The Filipina tennis star is also entered in the doubles tournament.
Around the grounds, Eala’s name has become a familiar point of conversation. One of the early standouts of this ASB Classic, she has met the growing attention not as pressure but as privilege. Each match is treated as an opportunity earned, not assumed, a mindset that keeps her grounded even as expectations rise.
“I’m happy with how I’m starting. It’s difficult…everyone at this level gives you certain challenges—but I’m happy with how I’m playing,” the Filipina was quoted in an article on the ASB Classic website.
In Auckland, the courts are playing quick, and so is Eala. The deeper she moves into the draw, the more she makes it feel like exactly where she belongs.
