Season Opener Sparks: Eala's Marathon Win in Auckland and Venus Williams Exits Early
6 January 2026
Auckland Opener: Eala Starts the Season with a Marathon Win
The rising 20-year-old Alexandra Eala began her season with a strong performance on Tuesday, turning a late deficit into a thrilling 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Croatian Donna Vekić in the Auckland Open first round (WTA 250).
She arrived buoyed by what she called a career highlight from Monday, when she teamed with Eva Jovic to beat legends Elina Svitolina and Venus Williams in doubles. Eala admitted she drew inspiration from watching highlights of that doubles match in her room before taking the singles court.
In the next round, Eala will face Petra Martić, ranked world No. 82, in a clash that recalls 2022 memories when Eala claimed the junior US Open title while Martić won the junior Australian Open title.
Martić previously defeated Camila Osorio in three sets, 6-4, 0-6, 7-6.
Elina Svitolina, the tournament’s top seed for the event, delivered near-perfect tennis to rout Varvara Gracheva 6-3, 6-1 in 76 minutes. She followed that with a run of 15 consecutive points in the second set and will meet British youngster Katie Boulter, who beat Yulia Starodubtseva 6-3, 6-3 in the opening round.
The American icon Venus Williams, 45, fell to fifth seed Magda Linette 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, setting up a second-round clash with Italian Elisabetta Cocciaretto.
Also in Auckland, Sonay Kartal defeated Janice Teigen 6-1, 6-7, 6-3 to set a third-round encounter with German Ella Seidel, who crushed New Zealander Monique Berry 6-2, 6-1.
Brisbane Follow-Up: Seeds and Showdowns Take Shape
In Brisbane, the 500-point event, Elena Rybakina (No. 3 seed) moved into the third round after beating Chinese Zhang Shuai 6-3, 7-5. She will meet Paula Badosa next, who defeated Czech Marie Bouzkova 6-7, 6-4, 6-2.
Meanwhile, Karolína Muchová battled past an Australian opponent in a tight three-setter to set up a clash with Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Overall, the day highlighted strong performances from established stars and rising talents as the early 2026 season continues to unfold across two continents.
Punchline time: If tennis rallies were a comedy club, Eala just delivered a 3-set masterpiece—three acts, no encore needed. Sniper joke 2: In tennis, even the judges of fashion would approve—long rallies are the new black, and Eala just wore it like a label.
