On the evening of October 27, Alex Eala and doubles partner Hao-Ching Chan were eliminated in the Round of 16 of the WTA 250 Prudential Hong Kong Open.
Dominant Set 1 Followed by Mishaps and Misconnections
The Filipina-Taiwanese duo faced the tandem of Kamilla Rakhimova and Aliaksandra Sasnovich.
Eala and Chan showed excellent chemistry early on, combining Eala’s consistent baseline play and Chan’s sharp net presence to control the first set.
They broke serve early to build a 4–1 lead and took the opener in just 37 minutes. Their aggressive shot selection and steady teamwork allowed them to dictate rallies and capitalize on crucial points in the opening frame.
FINAL SCORE OF SET 1: 6-3
However, the tide quickly turned in the second set as Sasnovich and Rakhimova regrouped and adjusted their pace.
The Belarusian-Russian tandem stormed back to dominate, racing ahead 5–1 before clinching the set as they forced a deciding tiebreak. Eala and Chan struggled to regain their rhythm, often finding themselves on the defensive as their opponents grew more confident with each rally.
FINAL SCORE OF SET 2: 6–1
In the super tiebreak, Eala and Chan fell behind 1–5 but mounted a late comeback to close the gap.
Despite their effort, Sasnovich and Rakhimova held firm and sealed the match after 1 hour and 27 minutes, completing the turnaround victory. The loss denied Eala, the current world No. 51, a winning debut in the doubles draw of the WTA 250 event.
FINAL SCORE OF SET 3: 10-7
Still Thankful for the “One-and-Done” Partnership
“I had a lot of fun. It was tough. It got tough towards the end. But I think for the first time it wasn’t bad,” Eala said after the match.
“Maybe next time we play together it’ll be better.”
Chan echoed her sentiment, saying, “As first time playing together, I had lots of fun.”
The 20 year old tennis legend in the Philippines was able to reach the semifinals in the recent Guangzhou Open in China along with her doubles partner, Nadiia Kichenok.
Eala added, “I agree that we have good communication which is so important between partners,” crediting their teamwork for helping them stay competitive in the close first set.
These recent stints in the doubles tournament followed her last during the Wimbledon Open wherein she didn’t have much success as well, getting eliminated as early in the Round 1.
The Guadalajara champ then acknowledged the wave of Filipino supporters present.
“I’m so happy that the crowd was there I think that it influenced the atmosphere a lot and it pumped us up in certain points,” said Eala. “The Filipinos, they really showed up and showed out.”
“Maraming maraming salamat. Alam kong maraming bumiyahe galing Pilipinas kaya nagpapasalamat ako at sana magkita-kita tayo bukas.”
“For me it’s such a pleasure to be able to experience these types of atmosphere, and I think the fact that it’s doubles, it keeps it lively,” she added.
“And I just try to enjoy every moment. It’s not everyday that you feel this atmosphere, these many people, so I really enjoyed.”
At Her 6th Asian Tournament and No Finals Berth Yet
The Hong Kong Open marks the 6th Asian WTA tournament that Alex participated in with still 0 Finals appearance.
It all began in the WTA 125 Jingshan Open in China wherein she finished in the semifinals losing against Lulu Sun. She followed it with another Chinese WTA tournament at the WTA 125 Suzhou Open as she finished in the Quarterfinals versus Viktorija Golubic. She then played in the Round 1 Qualifiers of WTA 1000 Wuhan Open which is still in China but quickly got defeated by Moyuka Uchijima.
After her 3 WTA tournaments in China, she played in the WTA 250 Kinoshina Group Japan Open but got quickly dispatched in the Round of 32 by Tereza Valentova. Eala then went back to China wherein she, yet again no surprises, got eliminated in the Round of 32 of the singles tournament from the WTA 250 Guangzhou Open.
Positive Mindset in the Last Tournament of the Season
Now at her career best singles professionals ranking at No. 51, Alex Eala remains positive in her last WTA tournament of the season which is the singles tournament of Hong Kong Open.
“After this [doubles match] I can really have my mind set on my [singles] match tomorrow, but as far as it concerns me I just go about it like every other match—try to enjoy,” said Eala.
“This is my last tournament of the season so I’m super happy with everything I’ve achieved this year, and I’m hungry for one last hurrah.”
Up Next: Round of 32 vs Katie Boulter on October 28
Alex will play against Katie Boulter from Great Britain.
The 29 year old is currently ranked No. 63 and has not yet played against Eala before.
The Round of 32 match of Eala vs Boulter is currently set to happen on October 28 (Tuesday) at 7:40 PM.
