Alex Eala to battle American Claire Liu for Hong Kong Tennis Open crown

Unseeded Claire Liu is standing between Alex Eala and the Hong Kong Open glory as the Filipina and American duke it out for the WTA 250 title on Sunday.

The world No. 17 Eala earned a spot in the finals after outlasting Greece's Maria Sakkari in a grueling two-hour, 43-minute semifinals clash, setting up a championship encounter against the No. 102 Liu.

Liu, on the other hand, pulled off a 7-5, 6-4 win over Alexandra Shublade in their own semifinals bracket to advance to the finals.

Eala and Liu only had one previous encounter with the American turning back the Filipina in the Guangzhou Open Round of 32 by hacking out a 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory and eventually reaching the semifinals.

Eala is looking to get even this time as she seeks to end her season on a winning note.

The 21-year-old Eala won a breakthrough title in the WTA500 Mubadala DC Open, but has been encountering a slump since then. In the Asian Swing, Eala absorbed early exits in the Singapore Open, Wuhan Open, Ningbo Open, and Pan Pacific Open

—JKC, GMA News