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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Alex Eala crowned as Kooyong champion

Alex Eala crowned as Kooyong champion

Published Jan 16, 2026 03:46 pm

At A Glance

  • Alex Eala added another feather to her cap as she was hailed as women's champion in this year's Kooyong Classic, a professional singles exhibition meet in Melbourne Australia, Friday, Jan. 16.
Alex Eala hoists the Evonne Goolagong Cawley Trophy. (Kooyong Classic Facebook post)
Alex Eala hoists the Evonne Goolagong Cawley Trophy. (Kooyong Classic Facebook post)
Alex Eala added another feather to her cap as she was hailed as women’s champion in this year’s Kooyong Classic, a professional singles exhibition meet in Melbourne Australia, Friday, Jan. 16.
The event made the announcement on social media with an image of the 20-year-old Eala holding the Evonne Goolagong Cawley Trophy which served as a tribute to the former Australian tennis star who rose to prominence on the WTA Tour in the 1970s and early 1980s with seven Grand Slam singles titles.
“We are happy to announce the winner of the Evonne Goolagong Cawley Trophy is Alexandra Eala,” Kooyong Classic wrote on its social media post. “Congratulations to our women’s 2026 Kooyong Classic Champion.”
The one-time WTA 125 champion took home the trophy after she outshone anew 2024 Paris Games silver medalist Donna Vekic of Croatia, 6-3, 6-4.
Eala, currently No. 49 in WTA rankings, should use the victory as a motivation for her maiden main-draw appearance in the Australian Open starting this weekend.
There, the 5-foot-9 lefty faces American Alycia Parks in the opening round of the first Grand Slam of the year with top-ranked bets in Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka, Poland’s Iga Swiatek, Americans Coco Gauff and Amanda Animisova, and Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina joining the fray.
Less than a week ago, Eala almost had another shot for the WTA crown but China’s Wang Xinyu played spoiled in their semifinal clash, 7-5, 5-7, 4-6, at the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand.
In the doubles event of the same competition, she and her American partner Iva Jović also fell short in the semis as they bowed to Chinese veterans Yifan Xu and Zhaoxuan Yang, 5-7, 3-6.
Meanwhile in the men’s side, Russian Karen Khachanov bagged the Lew Hoad Memorial Trophy.
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