Camille Naredo

Filipina tennis ace Alex Eala faces Japan's Himeno Sakatsume in the WTA 125 Philippine Women’s Open Round of 16 at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center in Manila on January 28, 2026.

Filipina tennis ace Alex Eala faces Japan's Himeno Sakatsume in the WTA 125 Philippine Women’s Open Round of 16 at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center in Manila on January 28, 2026. Eala booked a spot in the quarterfinals after beating Sakatsume 6-4, 6-0. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

WTA 125 Philippine Women’s Open

Dyan Castillejo

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/178169567533720260128-tennis-wta125-ph-r16-eala-sakatsume-JC0313.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Filipina tennis ace Alex Eala faces at the WTA 125 Philippine Women’s Open Round of 16 at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center in Manila on January 28, 2026. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Filipina tennis ace Alex Eala faces at the WTA 125 Philippine Women’s Open Round of 16 at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center in Manila on January 28, 2026. <em>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA (<strong>2nd UPDATE</strong>) -- Filipina tennis star Alex Eala is through to the round-of-16 of the WTA 500 Berlin Tennis Open after an impressive 7-5, 6-4 win against Croatia&#x27;s Donna Vekic on Wednesday at the Steffi Graf Center Court.</p><p>Eala, now ranked 35th in the world, dominated the final stretch of both sets against newly-minted Queen&#x27;s Club champion Vekic.</p><p>The Croatian had entered the tournament with great momentum, after completing a run from lucky loser to champion in London.</p><p>But Eala continues to have her number after having beaten Vekic, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, when they met at the ASB Classic in Auckland in January.</p><p>&quot;I&#x27;m also a fighter,&quot; said Eala after the match. &quot;Donna is an incredible player and she&#x27;s been showcasing it a lot lately and every time I play her, it&#x27;s been very difficult.&quot;</p><p>&quot;So I had a lot of expectations for this match in terms of the level that I had to bring in and I&#x27;m happy with the intensity today.&quot;</p><p>Eala closed out the first set with 20 winners and five aces, taking control of a tight affair that saw Vekic hold her serve in the opening game despite facing a break point. </p><p>The match stayed on serve deep into the set, with both players trading blow for blow in extended rallies through 4-4 and 5-5. Eala then strung together three straight games to seal it on a forehand line winner.</p><p>&quot;I think after one point, especially if she wins it with a winner, you just have to recollect especially if it&#x27;s a return winner, and forget the last point and stay in the moment,&quot; Eala said when asked how quickly she decides on her next serve. &quot;I decide before I serve.&quot;</p><p>The second set followed a similar script. Eala raced out to a 3-1 lead before extending her advantage to 4-3. Play was briefly halted for around nine minutes when a spectator in the stands required medical attention, with commentators noting the issue appeared to be heat-related.</p><p>Eala picked up without missing a beat, pushing ahead to 5-3. Vekic refused to go quietly, fighting her way to 5-4, before Eala closed out the match with another ace. </p><p>The Filipina will now play No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina, who received a first-round bye.</p><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div>

<p>Filipina tennis star Alex Eala is through to the second round of the WTA 500 Berlin Tennis Open after an impressive 7-5, 6-4 win against Croatia's Donna Vekic on Wednesday at the Steffi Graf Center Court.</p>

Filipina tennis star Alex Eala is through to the second round of the WTA 500 Berlin Tennis Open after an impressive 7-5, 6-4 win against Croatia's Donna Vekic on Wednesday at the Steffi Graf Center Court.

Tennis: Alex Eala ousts Vekic, advances to round-of-16 in Berlin

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Tennis: Alex Eala ousts Vekic, advances to round-of-16 in Berlin

Dyan Castillejo,

ABS-CBN News

Published June 17, 2026 07:15 PM PHT

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Updated June 17, 2026 07:55 PM PHT

Read More:

Tennis

Berlin Open

Alex Eala

Donna Vekic

Elena Rybakina

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