Alex Eala ousts another Croatian ace, advances to ASB Classic quarterfinals

Alex Eala continued her impressive run at the ASB Classic, dispatching a second straight Croatian opponent with ease as she overpowered Petra Marcinko, 6-0, 6-2, in the Round of 16 on Thursday in Auckland, New Zealand.

The 20-year-old Eala blanked Marcinko, a former world no. 1 junior player, in the opening set before the latter showed some resistance in the next frame. But Eala regained her groove en route to the sweep victory that sent her to the quarterfinals.

Eala, who escaped Croatia's Donna Vekic in her tournament opener, will face either Magda Linette or Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the next round.

"I feel amazing. I'm so happy with how I was able to compete and handle the different situations on court. It's never easy to play Petra," Eala said.

"She's obviously a very good player and she's been doing really well so I'm happy with how I played."

Eala quickly raced to a 5-0 lead in the opening set before Marcinko, a decorated player in the junior circuit, briefly found her footing in the sixth game, building a 40-15 advantage to stave off and remain in the set.

But Eala rattled off the next two points to force a deuce, then unleashed a strong backhand into the corner to seize the advantage. A costly error from Marcinko on the following rally sealed the opening-set sweep for Eala.

The one-sided first set lasted just 22 minutes. 

Marcinko showed more resistance in the second set after jumping to a 2-1 lead, but Eala quickly wrested back control by reeling off the next four games. The Filipina ace punctuated her surge in the seventh game, unloading a powerful first serve to clinch the match point at 5-2.

Eala's dominance saw her not dropping a single point in the final game as the Philippine bet completed the victory in one hour and two minutes. 

The win gave Eala a two-game winning streak to open her 2026 campaign, but the world no. 53 is staying grounded as she sets her sight on bigger battles ahead of her. 

"I think every start of the year comes differently. New year, new story and that goes for everybody. I'm happy with how I'm starting."

She will also compete in the quarters of the women’s doubles competition, where she is teaming up with American Iva Jovic. The pair previously defeated Venus Williams and Elina Svitolina in the Round of 16.

—JMB, GMA Integrated News