Claire Liu ended Alexandra Eala’s Hong Kong Open campaign with a 6-3, 6-0 victory at the Victoria Park Centre Court in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. The American player from Thousand Oaks, California, secured the win after rattling off nine consecutive games. During the match, Eala struggled on her serve, landing just 47 per cent of her first serves and winning 40 per cent of her second-serve points.
Alex Eala is set to make her top 15 debut
Despite the defeat in Sunday’s title match, the 20-year-old Filipina will collect 103 ranking points following her strong run in Hong Kong. This addition allows Eala to rise two places in the WTA rankings, moving past retired player Sorana Cirstea and Naomi Osaka. The upcoming rankings update on Monday will place Eala at a career-high ranking of world number 15 with 2,392 points, sitting behind Elise Mertens in 14th and Iva Jovic in 13th.
Entering the top 16 significantly strengthens Eala’s prospects for a deep run at the 2027 Australian Open. Players seeded 16th and above at a Grand Slam are guaranteed to avoid another top-16 seed until at least the fourth round. With tournament seeds determined six weeks before the event, Eala is nearly assured of securing a top-16 seeding for the 2027 tournament.
How did Alex Eala perform at the 2025 Hong Kong Open?
At the 2025 Hong Kong Open, Eala reached the second round when Katie Boulter retired from their first-round match while trailing 6-4, 2-1. Victoria Mboko later eliminated Eala in the second round with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 comeback victory. Mboko overcame a 1-4 deficit in the final set by winning five consecutive games to take the match.
“She’s such a sweet girl and we have so many great memories together off the court,” Mboko stated about Eala after the match, adding, “We’ll go and get bubble tea together, we do the most wholesome things together.”
