The campaign of Alex Eala and Nadiia Kichenok came to an end in the semifinals on October 25 after falling to the duo of Janice Tjen and Katarzyna Piter.
A Nail Biting 3-Set Semis But Failed to Take Care of the Lead
After winning their first 2 matches, which were against Qianhui Tang and Emily Appleton in the Round of 16 and Polina Kudermetova and Kamilla Rakhimova in the Quarterfinals, the Filipina-Ukranian duo faced a formidable opponent.
Both pairs opened the match with consistent holds, refusing to concede a break through 12 games.
Eala and Kichenok trailed early in the first-set tiebreak at 1–4 but responded with six unanswered points, showing composure under pressure to steal the set. The Filipina-Ukrainian tandem looked in command, displaying aggressive returns and solid baseline play that had carried them through the earlier rounds of the tournament.
FINAL SCORE OF SET 1: 7–6(4)
Eala and Kichenok built on their momentum early in the second frame, racing to a 2–0 lead and appearing poised to close out the match in straight sets.
However, their opponents regrouped quickly. Piter and Tjen adjusted their pace, attacking Eala’s serve and dominating the net to win five straight games and turn the tables, 5–2. Despite a brief resistance from the top half of the draw, Eala and Kichenok couldn’t recover as their rivals sealed the second set, forcing a super tiebreak.
FINAL SCORE OF SET 2: 6–3
In the decisive tiebreak, Piter and Tjen immediately took control, jumping to a commanding 4–1 advantage.
Although Eala and Kichenok attempted to close the gap, the Polish-Indonesian tandem proved too steady, extending their lead to 9–3. The Filipino-Ukrainian pair saved two match points but could not complete the comeback as Piter and Tjen sealed the win after one hour and 47 minutes.
FINAL SCORE OF SET 3: 10-5
The result pushed Piter and Tjen into the Guangzhou doubles finals, where they faced Hong Kong’s Eudice Chong and Chinese Taipei’s En-Shuo Liang.
The Piter-Tjen duo then won the Finals and took home the championship.
For Eala and Kichenok, it was a bittersweet finish as they were just one step away from their first championship match together since pairing up earlier this season.
A win could’ve given the 20 year old Alex her first ever Doubles Finals in her professional career.
0-2 Against the Southeast Asian Rival
For Eala, the loss also came at the hands of a familiar foe.
Indonesia’s Janice Tjen had previously beaten her in the singles quarterfinal of the Sao Paulo Open last month, 6–4, 6–1, where Tjen eventually finished as runner-up.
Once again, Tjen proved a difficult opponent for the No. 53 Filipina, turning what seemed to be Eala’s momentum into a late-match comeback.
Still Finding Answers in her Singles Matches
Despite making it in the semifinals, the achievement wouldn’t erase the fact that Alex has struggled in the singles matches in the majority of her Asian competitions.
In the Guangzhou Open singles, she lost immediately against Claire Liu in the Round of 32.
It marked her third straight early-round singles exit following tournaments in Wuhan and Osaka.
Still, the experience in doubles served as a much-needed morale boost, showing glimpses of her chemistry with the veteran Kichenok, who has reached as high as world No. 22 in doubles.
A Short Appreciation Post to Kichenok
After her semis, Eala made a short Instagram post expressing gratitude to her tennis partner.
“250 semis with @nadiakichenok ❤️ Came up 🤏short today but such a fun week! Thank you Guangzhou ! One last push of the season – See you in Hong Kong🔥”
Up Next: Hong Kong Open Doubles (Oct 27) and Singles (Oct 28)
With the success of her Doubles campaign in Guangzhou, Alex is now set to make yet another Doubles tournament in the upcoming Prudential Hong Kong Open starting October 27.
Her partner would be Hao-Ching Chan of Chinese Taipei. The 32 year old is currently No. 36 in the doubles ranking and was a former Wimbledon finalist.
The Filipina-Taiwanese duo will play against the tandem of Kamilla Rakhimova and Aliaksandra Sasnovich. The 24 year old Rakhimova is from Russia and is currently No. 60 in the doubles ranking while her partner, the 31 year old Sasnovich is from Belarus and is ranked No. 636.
The Round of 16 match between Eala-Chan versus Rakhimova-Sasnovich is set to happen on October 27 (Monday) at 4:20 PM.
Meanwhile, for the Singles tournament, 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 10:00 AM.
