Alex Eala Surpasses Naomi Osaka After Dramatic Hong Kong Open Victory
- On Friday, 21-year-old Filipina tennis star Alex Eala defeated Croatia's Antonia Ruzic, 7-6, 7-5, securing a semifinal berth at the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open.
- The hard-fought quarterfinal match lasted two hours and 33 minutes, with a rain delay disrupting rhythm as both players exchanged leads throughout the competitive two-setter.
- Eala finished with 40 winners but committed 47 unforced errors, relying on resilience to contain Ruzic after the Croatian mounted a second-set comeback following the weather suspension.
- The victory lifts Eala to a projected career-high in the live WTA rankings, surpassing four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, as she prepares to face Maria Sakkari of Greece in Saturday's semifinals.
- With this being her last tournament of the year, Eala remains focused on securing her second WTA title, having reached her fourth semifinal of the season during this breakthrough run.
22 Articles
22 Articles
Maria Sakkari put up a great "fight", however, she was unable to overcome the obstacle of Alexandra Iala and with her defeat by 2-1 sets was eliminated in the semifinals of the Hong Kong tournament. Maria Sakkari came a breath away from a great qualification to the Hong Kong final, but Alexandra Iala (No.120) proved to be more effective at crucial points and celebrated a difficult victory with 2-1 sets (7-5, 3-6, 6-4). And all this, in a match …
Alex Eala outlasts Croatian rival to reach Hong Kong Open semifinals
MANILA, Philippines – Alex Eala booked a ticket to the semifinals of the 2026 Hong Kong Open on Friday, November 6, after surviving a thriller against Croatia’s Antonia Ružić, 7-6(7), 7-5. The two players went neck and neck all throughout, even needing a tiebreaker, where world No. 17 Eala pulled away late from a 6-6 deadlock to take the first set, 7-6(7). Due to heavy rain, the match also got suspended halfway through the second set, where the …
Eala advances to semifinal round in Hong Kong
MANILA, Philippines — Alex Eala survived another high intensity match at the 2026 Hong Kong Open, this time defeating Antonia Ruzic of Croatia, 7-6 (7), 7-5, to march into the semifinal round at the Victoria Park Tennis Stadium on Friday evening.
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