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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Alex Eala falls to world No. 9 Mirra Andreeva in Macau exhibition match

Alex Eala falls to world No. 9 Mirra Andreeva in Macau exhibition match

Published Dec 28, 2025 04:29 pm

At A Glance

  • Alex Eala faced a familiar opponent in Mirra Andreeva, but this time, the Filipina tennis sensation fell to the Russian prodigy, 6-4, 6-2, in their women's singles exhibition match at the Macau Tennis Masters on Sunday, Dec. 28.
Alex Eala. (Macau Tennis Masters Instagram)
Alex Eala. (Macau Tennis Masters Instagram)
Alex Eala faced a familiar opponent in Mirra Andreeva, but this time, the Filipina tennis sensation fell to the Russian prodigy, 6-4, 6-2, in their women’s singles exhibition match at the Macau Tennis Masters on Sunday, Dec. 28.
The 18-year-old Andreeva, ranked No. 9 in the world, dictated the pace particularly in the second set, where she pulled away from a 2-all deadlock and never looked back.
It was a rematch of sorts for Eala and Andreeva, who last squared off when they were competing in the juniors scene.
At the 2022 US Open, Eala defeated Andreeva in the quarterfinals, before eventually capturing the Girls Singles title.
Much has transpired in both players’ careers, with Andreeva going on to capture three career singles titles and reach the semifinals of the 2024 French Open, while Eala achieved historic milestones, including winning her first WTA title at the Guadalajara Open and climbing to No. 53 in ranking.
Eala and Andreeva were actually scheduled to face earlier -- at a mixed doubles match last Saturday, Dec. 27 -- but an illness prevented the Russian from taking the court.
Instead, Eala and Jerry Shang faced two male players in Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and China's Wu Yibing, where the Filipina-Chinese duo yielded, 7-5, 7-6 (1).
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