World No. 49 Eala downs Vekic again at Kooyong Classic ahead of Australian Open

After reaching a career-high world ranking of No. 49, Alex Eala continued her strong start to the season, defeating Croatia’s Donna Vekic 6–3, 6–4 at the Kooyong Classic in Melbourne, Australia, Jan. 14.

The win marked Eala’s second straight triumph over Vekic in just over a week. 

The two first met at the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand, where the 20-year-old Filipina rallied for a three-set win in the opening round on Jan. 6.

Her Kooyong Classic appearance follows a semifinal run at the WTA 250 ASB Classic, where she fell in three sets to China’s Wang Xinyu. 

That performance helped Eala achieve her career-high ranking.

While the Kooyong Classic is an exhibition event and carries no ranking points, it served as Eala’s final preparation ahead of the Australian Open main draw, set to run from Jan. 18 to Feb. 1.

With back-to-back wins over a proven tour veteran and momentum building early in the year, Eala heads to Melbourne Park confident and ready to test herself on the Grand Slam stage.