It’s not every day that a player gets the chance to go up against one of the greatest to ever play the game.
Alex Eala will have that rare opportunity on Monday when she faces Venus Williams of the United States in the opening round of the doubles event at the WTA 250 ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand.
Not only will Eala challenge a legend, but she will also team up with one of the WTA Tour’s most promising young talents, American teen sensation Iva Jovic.
Jovic, who just turned 18 last December, is the youngest player in the WTA women’s singles top 100. Currently ranked 35th in the world, she is the fourth-highest-ranked teenager, behind 18-year-old world No. 9 Mirra Andreeva of Russia, 19-year-old world No. 18 Victoria Mboko of Canada, and 19-year-old world No. 32 Maya Joint of Australia.
The 20-year-old Eala, ranked 166th in doubles, and Jovic, ranked 217th, will face a formidable challenge against 45-year-old Williams, who will partner with 31-year-old Elina Svitolina of Ukraine, a former world No. 3 in singles.
Williams, who made a comeback in 2025 after a long period of inactivity, reached the US Open quarterfinals alongside Leylah Fernandez of Canada. She is tied for seventh all-time in doubles Grand Slam titles with 14 and tied for ninth in singles Grand Slam championships with seven.
Eala also drew a tough first-round matchup in singles as she kicks off her 2026 campaign at the outdoor hard courts of the Manuka Doctor Arena. She is set to face veteran Croatian Donna Vekic, currently world No. 69.
The 29-year-old Vekic reached a career-high ranking of No. 17 just last year. She made the Australian Open quarterfinals in 2023 and the Wimbledon semifinals in 2024, and claimed a silver medal in women’s singles at the 2024 Paris Olympics after falling to China’s Zheng Qinwen in the final.
The ASB Classic is one of two tournaments Eala is using to prepare for the year’s first Grand Slam, the Australian Open, which begins on January 18.
