Who is Petra Marcinko, Alex Eala's Round of 16 opponent at ASB Classic?

The fourth-seeded Alex Eala pulled off a dramatic win to officially kick off her 2026 season, stunning Olympian Donna Vekic of Croatia with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 win in the 2026 ASB Classic Round of 32 on Tuesday in Auckland, New Zealand. 

She will now see action in the Round of 16 against a fellow young athlete in Petra Marcinko, another athlete from Croatia.

Both 20-year-olds, Eala and Marcinko will go head-to-head for the first time in their careers. 

Marcinko is currently the no. 82-ranked WTA player, which is also her career-high she achieved last month after ruling the WTA 100 Dubai Challenge. 

Marcinko, who has yet to participate in any Grand Slam main draw events, is coming off a gutsy 6-4, 0-6, 7-6 win against Camila Osorio in the Round of 32, setting up a clash against the Filipina ace. 

Eala and Marcinko will lock horns on Thursday at 8 a.m. before Eala teams up again with Iva Jovic in the doubles quarterfinals. The Filipina-American pair previously ousted Venus Williams and Elina Svitolina in their opener encounter.

—JMB, GMA Integrated News