Alex Eala celebrates after winning the women’s single quarter finals match against Antonia Ruzic of Croatia on day five of the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open. (Photo from Getty Image/Yu Chun Christopher Wong)
Tennis sensation Alexandra ‘Alex’ Eala has achieved a level no Filipina netter has reached before with her latest breakthrough coming after another gruelling battle that demanded every ounce of her composure.
The Filipina ace defeated Croatia’s Antonia Ruzic, 7-6 (9-7), 7-5, in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 250 Prudential Hong Kong Open quarterfinals, securing a semifinal berth and moving past four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka of Japan in the live WTA rankings.
Eala’s latest victory projects her to a career-high world No. 16, surpassing her previous best of No. 17 and extending a remarkable season that has established her among the world’s top rising stars.
The country’s pride needed two hours and 33 minutes, survived a set point and overcame a rain delay before finally outlasting the persistent Croatian. Eala found herself for the second consecutive in a tiebreak that threatened to unravel her promising performance.
She raced to a 5-0 lead in the opening-set tiebreak, seemingly closing in on a comfortable advantage, but her Croatian opponent mounted a furious comeback, eventually earning a set point at 7-6.
However, Eala refused to surrender the set by winning three consecutive points to escape with the opener after 80 minutes.
But the following set showed the 21-year-old her troubles were not over. She moved ahead 4-2 in the second set before Ruzic staged another comeback, aided by a rain interruption that disrupted the match’s rhythm.
The Croatian eventually took a 5-4 lead, putting Eala under pressure once again. Still, the tournament’s second seed responded by winning the final three games to complete another hard-earned straight-set victory.
Eala saved 11 of 16 break points during the contest and finished with 40 winners.
“It was a roller coaster, for sure, and an incredible battle. I don’t know what inspired me or kept me digging deeper, but Antonia played a really amazing match, and I’m blessed to be able to play another round here,” she enthused after winning the match.
Beyond securing her place in the final four, Eala’s victory carries considerable significance for her career. The win lifts her to a projected No. 16 in the live WTA rankings, placing her ahead of Osaka, who drops provisionally to No. 17.
Eala will now face former world No. 3 Maria Sakkari in today’s semifinals. The fourth-seeded Greek defeated Aliaksandra Sasnovich, 6-2, 6-3, in her quarterfinal. Currently ranked No. 30, she is pursuing her first final of the season.
For Eala, another victory would put her within one match of her second WTA title.
