Alex Eala’s dream run was cut short in the semifinals of Jingshan Open at China battling against Lulu Sun in the evening of September 27, Saturday.
Strong Strong Starts but Fell Way Behind in Set 3
The No. 58 Eala had a strong 2-0 lead in the 1st Set. Her Kiwi opponent answered back and scored 2-straight points to tie the match. Alex then went on to finish the game despite Sun still scoring a point.
FINAL SCORE OF SET 1: 6-3
In Set 2, the 20 year old Filipina yet again had a great start getting the lead, 2-0. But then, the 24 year old from New Zealand went berserk and went back and forth with the Filiprima. Lulu eventually gets the lead and finishes the second set and gives Eala her first 3-Set match in the Jingshan Open tournament.
FINAL SCORE OF SET 2: 6-4
Then in the deciding set, it feels like the nightmare again for Alex during the Round 3 of 2024 Wimbledon Open Qualifiers as Lulu gets on a very strong start. Up 4-0, the 2025 Guadalajara Open Champion had no answer for Sun as she then ended the winning streak of Eala and denied her the Finals ticket.
FINAL SCORE OF SET 3: 6-3
Lulu Sun is set to face China’s Ye-Xin Ma in the Finals. Ma defeated Talia Gibson of Australia in 3-sets as well in their semifinals clash with the score of 6-4, 7-5, 7-5.
Prior to her semis battle with Sun, Alex had a 3-game winning streak. She beat Aliona Falei in Round of 32, then Mei Yamaguchi in Round of 16 and then finally Jia-Jing Lu in the Quarterfinals.
Up Next: WTA 125 Suzhou in China on Sept 29
Despite missing a big opportunity to win her 2nd WTA professional championship, Alex Eala will now look to regain her composure on the hard court of WTA 125 Suzhou in China.
Eala’s first match is going to be in the Round of 32 against Katarzyna Kawa of Poland. The 32 year old Kawa is currently ranked No. 124. The two have faced before, 3 years ago in the hardcourt of the Templeton Open at USA in 2022. Katarzyna came out victorious in their 3-set duel back then.
Their match is set to happen on September 30, Tuesday at 10:00 AM. Alex is also the 4th seed in the Suzhou Open and the tournament will last up until October 5.
Screenshot from: WTA 125 Suzhou Open – Draws R32
