SECOND seed Alex Eala booked a semifinal meeting with Greece’s Maria Sakkari after defeating Croatia’s Antonia Ruzic in two closely contested sets at the Hong Kong Tennis Open 2026.
The world No. 17 Filipina prevailed, 7-6(7), 7-5, in a two-hour, 33-minute quarterfinal Friday night at Victoria Park Tennis Stadium, securing her first Tour-level semifinal berth of the Asian hard-court season.
Sakkari, seeded fourth and ranked No. 30, reached the final four by beating world No. 101 Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus, 6-2, 6-3. Their semifinal is scheduled for Saturday.
Eala’s route to the matchup required repeated recoveries against the world No. 81 Ruzic.
The 21-year-old trailed 4-5 and 5-6 in the first set before forcing a tiebreak. After building a 5-0 tiebreak lead, she withstood the Croatian’s comeback attempt to take the opener in 81 minutes.
Eala appeared to gain control in the second set with two early breaks and a 4-2 advantage.
Ruzic responded with three straight games, taking a 5-4 lead following a brief rain interruption. Eala then claimed the next three games to avoid a deciding set.
“I think more than staying focused, it was just choosing to push through and give everything that I have,” Eala said afterward.
The Washington DC Open champion also praised her opponent’s performance, describing the encounter as an “incredible battle.”
The victory keeps Eala in contention at the WTA 250 tournament as she prepares to face Sakkari for a place in the final.| – BNN Integrated News
