Alex Eala successfully navigated a rain delay and a challenging battle to secure her spot in the semi-finals of the Hong Kong Open for the first time in her career. The Filipina tennis player is aiming to finish her best season yet on a high note at this final tournament of her year.
Overcoming Ruzic and Rain Delays
Facing Croatia’s Antonia Ruzic, Eala experienced a difficult match where her serve was broken five times. Despite the hurdles, including a rain interruption in the later stages of the second set, Eala managed to claim victory with a score of 7-6(7), 7-5.
Reflecting on her win during the on-court interview reported by sports.yahoo.com, Eala described the encounter by stating, “It was a rollercoaster for sure and it was an incredible battle, so I don’t know what inspired me or kept me to continue digging deeper, but Antonia played a really amazing match and I’m blessed to be able to play another round here.”
Addressing how she handled the frustration of the service breaks and the weather disruption, the 21-year-old explained, “Yeah, I mean you know when you are on court there is kind of not much else you can think about except how to play, right? Yeah, I think more than staying focussed it was choosing to push through and giving everything that I have.”
Semifinal Showdown Against Maria Sakkari
Eala now stands as the highest-ranked player left in the WTA 250 tournament draw following the unexpected departure of top seed Sorana Cirstea, who lost her quarter-final match to qualifier Alexandra Shubladze.
Looking ahead to her next match, Eala mentioned that she needs time to evaluate her performance, stating, “A few adjustments to be made, but that is to be decided in the next couple of hours, so now just some rest.”
Eala will face former world number three Maria Sakkari for the first time in her career, with a spot in the Hong Kong Open final on the line on Saturday, November 7.
