THE PHILIPPINES’ Alex Eala began the new year just as she ended the last —with a significant victory.
Fresh off her gold-medal clinching win at the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand, Eala carried that winning momentum to the center court in the opening round of the women’s doubles action at the 2026 ASB Classic of the ASB Tennis Center in Auckland, New Zealand, where she and doubles’ partner Iva Jovic pulled off a major upset against tennis legend Venus Williams and Elina Svitolina.
The young pair, with Eala at 20 and Jovic at 18, were visibly in awe of their opponents, especially Williams, who was playing following a long, 16-month layoff due to injury.
Despite the admiration, though, they managed to secure a hard-fought win, 7-6 (8-7), 6-1 win.
“I had such a good time with Iva. We had a lot of fun at such a moment like this, sharing the court with the pioneers of the sport, and people I look up to,” said Eala during a post-game interview.
The match, which lasted 89 minutes, concluded with cheers of excitement from fans, many of whom were Filipinos based in New Zealand.
The pair prevailed in a closely-fought first set, which gave them the momentum to dominate the second set and advance to the quarterfinal round.
Jovic also shared her excitement on the experience of facing such prominent players. “It’s been a pleasure sharing the court with Alex, and playing against the legends of the game.”
She admitted to still shaking and trembling after the match, given Williams’ decorated career, which includes 14 Grand Slam doubles’ titles and three Olympic gold medals with her sister, Serena.
The upset victory spoiled the return of Williams, the tournament’s oldest player, and Svitolina. The world no. 166 doubles’ ranked Eala and Jovic (no. 213) focused on keeping the ball away from the 45-year-old Williams’ reach most of the time.
In the first set, Williams and Svitolina—a wildcard entry—showed confidence by fighting out of a 0-2 deficit and reaching three deadlocks.
However, a winner from Eala that landed behind Williams, followed by Svitolina sending a long forehand volley into the net, gave the Filipina and her partner the memorable first set win.
Eala and Jovic then raced to a 4-0 lead in the second set, with Williams largely pinned at the net, enabling Eala and Jovic to keep Svitolina on the move with long volleys.
The winning duo finished the contest with 23 points off 39 first serves, while Williams and Svitolina scored 17 points off 31 first serves.
The victory comes after Jovic, who has a WTA singles ranking of no. 33, reached the second round of the singles’ draw with a 4-6, 6-1, 6-0 win over Gabriela Knutson.
Eala is also slated to meet Croatian Donna Vekic in her own first-round singles match.
The victorious pair will next battle the winner between the top-seeded duo of Asia Muhamad and Australian Erin Routliffe, and the team of Czech bet Jessica Maleckova and Mexican Renata Zarazua.
