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Who is Claire Liu? Meet the American standing between Alex Eala and the Hong Kong Tennis Open crown
One final test stands between Alex Eala and a fitting finish to her eventful 2026 season.
The Filipina star and world No. 17 Eala is seeking to rule the Hong Kong Open as she takes on American Claire Liu in the finals set on Sunday at 4 p.m. at Centre Court.
Although Eala holds the advantage, Liu isn't a pushover.
The 26-year-old Liu is currently ranked No. 102 by the WTA and had a career-high ranking of No. 52 back in January 2023, when she had a Round of 64 appearance in the Australia Open.
Liu is no stranger to winning. In 2017, she won the Wimbledon girls' singles title to become the first American to achieve the feat since Chanda Rubin in 1992. Liu's transition to the professional ranks was equally impressive, making her Grand Slam main-draw debut at the US Open in the same year and appearing in six of the next nine editions since then.
After her qualifying round match in the 2024 Roland Garros, Liu stepped away from competitive tennis to focus on her mental health. During that period, she also parted ways with her former coach, a difficult transition that she admitted was challenging to navigate.
But Liu eventually made her return to the court and has been steadily rebuilding her career.
Liu holds the upper hand over Eala in their head-to-head match, beating the Filipina in the opening round of the 2025 Guangzhou Open, where Liu eventually reached the semifinals before bowing to Lulu Sun.
And so far in the Hong Kong Open, Liu has been making a stellar run.
Liu ousted Tatiana Prozorova in the opening round before beating Katie Boulter and Zeynep Sonmez in the next two rounds and advancing to the semifinals. There, she pulled off a 7-5, 6-4 win over Alexandra Shubladze to clinch a finals spot.
She will look to pull an upset in the finals as she faces Eala, who is seeking to bag her first title since ruling the Mubadala DC Open last August.
—JKC, GMA News
