Eala reaches ASB Classic semis; falls to Wang Xinyu

Alex Eala opened her 2026 campaign with a statement run at the ASB Classic, advancing to the semifinals before bowing out in a three-set battle against China’s Wang Xinyu, Jan. 9.

The Filipina tennis ace booked her semifinal berth with a commanding 6–3, 6–2 victory over world No. 52 Magda Linette, snapping a two-match losing streak against the Polish veteran and continuing her strong early-season form.

Eala followed the win with a hard-fought 7–5, 5–7, 4–6 loss to Wang, an Olympic medalist and former French Open doubles champion, in a semifinal that stretched nearly three hours.

With the strong campaign, Eala proved no rust since winning her maiden women’s singles tennis gold medal at the 2025 SEA Games, while boosting her climb at the WTA rankings after notching a career-high of world No. 50 last year.

A solved puzzle vs. Linette

The script seemed to be not in favor of the 20-year-old sensation after locking horns against Linette, experiencing setbacks in her hands at the 2024 Abu Dhabi and Lexus Nottingham Opens.

But the Filipina proved that she was not the same tennis player as two years ago.

After a nip-and-tuck exchange at 2-all, Alex flashed brilliance as she took three straight games, highlighted by a break point in the sixth to build a 5–2 cushion in the opening set.

Despite dropping the eighth game in a tightly contested fashion, the 2022 US Open junior girls’ singles champion stamped the set point after four attempts, 1–0.

Momentum defined the left-handed Filipina, as she broke Linette’s serve twice, flushing in clean down-the-line groundstrokes to net four straight games in the second canto, 4-love.

The three-time WTA titlist flexed her experience as she remained composed to retaliate to take the fifth and sixth games, 4–2.

However, the world No. 53 channeled her inner killer instinct to halt any comeback attempts against the 33-year-old veteran after stepping on precise crosscourt hits to complete her revenge tour and secure a semis berth.

Too tall of a wall

Down 5–1, Eala danced with disaster after clawing back with a gutsy comeback, seizing seven straight games powered by three break points to steal the opener, 1–0.

Stamping on fire, Xinyu wrested control after inching the latter with six aces to secure yet another tightly contested set, 1–1.

Facing a familiar 5–1 lead held by the Chinese world No. 57, the Filipina looked to repeat the same script she wrote in the opening salvo after clinching three straight games to inch close, 5–4.

But the women’s doubles 2023 French Open champion learned her lesson just in time.

Xinyu displayed her Olympic pedigree as she held her nerve, closing the match with precise volleys to ultimately seal the decider, 6–4.

With the deep run, Eala would look to fine-tune her rhythm further as she vies to climb the world charts and compete in other tilts, including the WTA 125 Philippine Women’s Open on Jan. 26-31, 2026.