Filipina tennis star Alex Eala during her match against Poland's Magda Linette at the 2026 Miami Open, March 22, 2026. Eala defeated Linette, 6-3, 7-6 (7-2). Courtesy: Roman Garay/File
MANILA — Filipino tennis ace Alex Eala is set to face Croatia’s Donna Vekic in the first round of the Berlin Open on Wednesday with their match scheduled as the first on Steffi Graf Stadium at 11:00 a.m. local time Berlin (5:00 p.m. in Manila).
Eala is in Germany after a second-round exit at the Queen’s Club Championships last week falling to Iva Jovic, 2-6, 2-6.
Before that, the 21-year-old won the Birmingham Open, lifting her second career WTA 125 title after beating her doubles partner Nikola Bartunkova in the title match.
Vekic enters Berlin with confidence following her HSBC Championships title in London, where she defeated former US Open champion Emma Raducanu in the final, 6-0, 7-6, for her fifth overall.
Eala and Vekic previously met in the ASB Classic earlier this year, with the Filipina prevailing, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Off the court, Eala gave fans a glimpse of her Berlin experience through a series of posts on Instagram— casual selfies, enjoying a few drinks, browsing a carpet store, and posing with an “I ❤ Berlin” sign at a souvenir shop. There were also plenty of food photos on the carousel post.
Eva Lys, the German home favorite, left a comment on the post: “We love a good schnitzel and Borchardt.”
American teen Jovic chimed in with a simple “yes yes yes.”
Fans in the comments also praised Eala’s song choice for the post featuring Elton John and Kiki Dee’s “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” with many calling Eala an old soul.
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