Bizarre Macau Tennis Masters Mixed Doubles: Why Alexandra Eala had unthinkable 'Battle of the Sexes' with 2 men

Alexandra Eala teamed up with Shang 'Jerry' Juncheng for a mixed doubles clash at the 2025 MGM Macau Tennis Masters, an exhibition event in the buildup to the start of the 2026 tennis season. However, the rising 20-year-old WTA and ATP stars, instead of facing another combination of WTA and ATP players, locked horns with men's tennis players Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Wu Yibing. This stemmed from a last-minute change in the lineup.

On Saturday, December 27, the on-court action at the MGM Macau Tennis Masters began, with one of the matches originally scheduled to be a mixed doubles affair featuring Eala, Shang, Wu and Russian teenage prodigy Mirra Andreeva. However, ahead of the contest, Andreeva reportedly felt unwell and as a result, Davidovich Fokina was called up to replace the 18-year-old.

Remarkably though, Alexandra Eala and Shang Juncheng produced quite a mixed doubles display as they pushed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Wu Yibing to the limit. However, ultimately, the contest ended in Davidovich Fokina and Wu's favor, with the Spaniard and the Chinese sealing a 7-5, 7-6(1) victory.

It remains to be seen if Mirra Andreeva will be able to step out on to the court at the Macau Forum on Sunday, December 28, with the Russian set to face Alexandra Eala in an eagerly-awaited singles clash on the second and final day of the exhibition tournament.

"Maybe it was more fun for me than Jerry" - Alexandra Eala after strange mixed doubles outing at Macau Tennis Masters

Alexandra Eala during a press conference at the 2025 US Open (Source: Getty)

In an on-court interview following her narrow loss partnering Shang Juncheng to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Wu Yibing at the 2025 MGM Macau Tennis Masters, Alexandra Eala playfully suggested that the mixed doubles outing was more fun that it was for her doubles partner on the day.

"Maybe it was more fun for me than Jerry," Eala said.

The 20-year-old from the Philippines also touched on the possibility of such doubles matches being contested at official tour-level events, saying:

"I think maybe (yes), you know? Depends. Depends on the person."

Eala also received a compliment from Wu, with the Chinese praising the Filipino's return game as well as her two-handed backhand.

"She is actually returning great and playing some really good tennis and I like the two-handed backhand like how you do it."

Before heading to Macau for the exhibition event, Eala won the women's singles gold medal representing the Philippines at the Southeast Asian Games.

Edited by Sudipto Pati