Alexandra Eala continued her strong grass-court season with an opening-round triumph at the 2026 Berlin Tennis Open.
The Filipina world No. 35 defeated Olympic silver medallist Donna Vekić 7-5, 6-4 at the WTA 500 tournament on Wednesday (17 June), a seventh win on the surface this year.
Vekić, ranked two places higher and fresh off a grass title at Queen’s, fought through one hour, 50 minutes in the German capital, having played eight matches in the last 10 days.
Next up for wildcard Eala is a mouthwatering matchup with second seed Elena Rybakina, with the 2026 Australian Open champion looking to build form on the grass before Wimbledon begins on 29 June.
It was Vekić who struck first with an early break before suffering a double break at the hands of the Filipina, before working her way back in from 2-4 to win three straight games.
Eala was not keen to relinquish her control of the opening set as she broke for 6-5 and took the set in just over an hour. The 21-year-old showed excellent composure to save 86 per cent of break points over the course of the action at the Steffi Graf Stadium.
A break to open the second set was enough to give the wildcard a lasting advantage, and she even saved four break points in the final game to advance to the round of 16.