(HK Open photo)
Filipina tennis star Alex Eala overcame a rain interruption and a determined challenge from Croatia’s Antonia Ruzic to secure a 7-6(7), 7-5 victory on Friday night, advancing to the semifinals of the Prudential Hong Kong Open.
The second-seeded Eala displayed composure in a tightly contested quarterfinal match at the Victoria Park Tennis Stadium, prevailing after two hours and 30 minutes of play.
Eala claimed a hard-fought opening set through a tiebreak before taking a 4-3 lead in the second set when rain forced officials to suspend the match.
When play resumed, Ruzic fought back to move ahead, 5-4, putting pressure on the Filipina to keep her semifinal hopes alive.
Eala responded by winning three consecutive games to close out the match in straight sets and book her place in the final four.
The victory continued Eala’s impressive campaign in Hong Kong, where she has yet to drop a set.
The world No. 17 opened her campaign with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Australian lucky loser Emerson Jones before defeating Czech opponent Tereza Valentova, 6-4, 7-6(7), in the Round of 16.
Eala will next face fourth-seeded Greek veteran Maria Sakkari on Saturday for a place in the championship match.
Sakkari secured her semifinal berth after defeating Russia’s Aliaksandra Sasnovich, 6-2, 6-3, in their quarterfinal encounter.
In the other half of the draw, unseeded Alexandra Shubladze delivered an upset by eliminating top seed Sorana Cirstea of Romania, 6-2, 6-3.
Shubladze will face American Claire Liu, who advanced after beating Turkey’s Zeynep Sönmez, 6-1, 6-4.
The Hong Kong Open is being staged alongside the Chennai Open in India as the women’s tennis season approaches its conclusion.
For Eala, the semifinal appearance marks another significant run on the international circuit as she continues her pursuit of a place in the tournament final.
