Alex Eala repeats over Donna Vekic in Kooyong Classic

Alex Eala continued her mastery of Paris Olympic silver medalist Donna Vekic of Croatia, pulling off a 6-3, 6-4 victory in their rematch at the Kooyong Classic on Wednesday in Australia. 

The 20-year-old Eala had previously beaten the 29-year-old Vekic during their first encounter at the ASB Classic last week. 

Eala started off slow after the world no. 70 Vekic took an early 2-1 lead in the opening frame, but the Filipina bet won the next four games before clinching a 5-3 lead following a slew of errors from the Croatian tennis ace. 

An error during the last play from Vekic allowed Eala to close out the opening frame, 6-3. 

Vekic surged to a crucial 2-0 lead in the second set, but Eala responded with a determined fightback, claiming the next four games to take a 4-2 advantage. 

The following game turned into a nail-biter, with both players battling through five deuces before a perfectly placed drop shot gave Vekic the advantage. She then fired an ace to narrow the gap to 4-3.

Eala extended her lead to 5-3, but Vekic bounced back in the next game to stay in contention. 

In the decisive game, a powerful forehand gave Eala a crucial 30-15 advantage, and consecutive errors from Vekic allowed Eala to close out the set with a commanding victory.

The Kooyong Classic, an exclusive invitational event for several top players in the world, serves as Eala's warm-up for her first-ever Australian Open main draw appearance later this month. 

—Bea Micaller/JMB, GMA Integrated News