Macau Tennis Masters Round-up | Andreeva defeats fellow young talent Eala as Team Conchita continue to dominate

Mirra Andreeva managed to fend off Alexandra Eala 6-4, 6-2 in the second day of the Macau Tennis Masters as Team Conchita confirmed a dominant victory in the exhibition event.

After day one, Conchita Martinez' team were far ahead of Team Li Na after an action-packed day of action. It started with world number 14 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina narrowly beating home favourite Jerry Shang before they would take to the court once more in a mixed doubles match - of sort. While Shang and Eala teamed up, Andreeva was unable to play due to not being well enough. Fortunately, Yibing Wu was able to join the Spaniard's side of the court, leaving Eala as the only women in the contest. It went the way of Team Conchita once more with Wu completing the day with a 2-1 win over Ugo Humbert.

Day two would start with a bang with the two touted talents Andreeva and Eala taking to the court together. This is the first time they locked horns since their junior days. They had previously faced off in the US Open girls quarter-final, where the Filipino proved too good for the Russian youngster, going on to win the event.

However, the roles were set to be reversed in a match which proves just how far both players have come. Andreeva came out of the blocks like a rocket at the start of 2025, winning two WTA 1000 titles while adding two Grand Slam quarter-finals to the semi-final she achieved last year. Eala also broke new ground, winning her first WTA title while cannoning up into the top 50 in the world, the first time these feats have been completed on the WTA Tour by someone from the Philippines.

It was set to be a closely contested match with a lot of hype around it. This proved the case in the first set when the duo were close together throughout, but ultimately Andreeva would clinch the early advantage. She then steamed ahead in the second set, upping the quality with her opponent unable to keep up. The 18-year-old took the victory, adding to the joy that Team Conchita have enjoyed these past two days.

While she may have lost, it was still a very cool experience for Eala. “I know it’s a very special time of the year, so thank you so much. I really had a good time sharing the court with Mirra, of course, and all of you so this experience was just so great for me,” she stated in an on-court interview after the match.

The crowd were also treated to two men's singles matches to culminate the exhibition event. First would be the two Chinese players of Shang and Wu. The same pattern would continue to showcase itself as Wu managed to keep his fellow countryman at arm's length to give Team Conchita another triumph.

Team Li Na would eventually get something to celebrate about with Humbert getting a positive result against Davidovich Fokina. In a repeat of the Swiss Indoors semi-final where the Frenchman retired in the second set, he turned the fortunes around as he won 6-3, 6-4 in another very close contest, wrapping up another Macau Tennis Masters. The players, now fitter and sharper after two days of competing, will be more prepared for the start of the season Down Under, starting in just a few days with 2026 just around the corner.