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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Alex Eala succumbs to Chinese rival in Auckland semis

Alex Eala succumbs to Chinese rival in Auckland semis

Published Jan 10, 2026 03:52 pm

At A Glance

  • The fourth-seeded Eala mustered all her might to crawl back from a 0-4 deficit in the pivotal third set but ultimately fell short against her lower-ranked yet more experienced Chinese opponent in a grueling match that lasted two hours and 48 minutes.
Alex Eala falls short in the semifinals of the ASB Classic. (File Photo/Alex Eala)
Alex Eala falls short in the semifinals of the ASB Classic. (File Photo/Alex Eala)
Alex Eala showed resilience but eventually ran out of gas, succumbing to seventh seed Wang Xinyu, 7-5, 5-7, 4-6, in the semifinals of the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand on Saturday, Jan. 10.
The fourth-seeded Eala mustered all her might to crawl back from a 0-4 deficit in the pivotal third set but ultimately fell short against her lower-ranked yet more experienced Chinese opponent in a grueling match that lasted two hours and 48 minutes.
Still, it marked a strong start to the season for Eala, who achieved an impressive run in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA 250) tournament. She also finished in the semifinals of the doubles with American Iva Jovic after yielding to third seed Chinese veterans Xu Yifan and Yang Zhaoxuan, 5-7, 3-6, the other day.
Eala overcame a slow start in the first set, rallying from a 1-5 deficit to claim it, but Wang responded iin the second, bouncing back from a 3-5 deficit to force a decider.
The 24-year-old Wang, ranked four spots below Eala at No. 57, surged to a 5-1 lead in the final set, yet the Filipina star refused to back down, winning three consecutive games to stay in contention.
In the end, however, Wang held her serve to close out the match.
On her way to the semis, she secured emphatic victories over 2024 Paris Olympics silver medalist Donna Vekic, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4; Petra Marcinko, 6-0, 6-2; and 2021 French Open semifinalist Magda Linette, 6-3, 6-2.
Up next for Eala is the Kooyong Classic in Melbourne, Australia starting on Tuesday, Jan. 13, which serves as a warm-up for the Australian Open scheduled late this month.
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