Alex Eala falls to world No. 102 Claire Liu to end season as Hong Kong Tennis Open runner-up

Alexandra 'Alex' Eala was denied her second WTA title after falling to world No. 102 Claire Liu in the Hong Kong Tennis Open final, 3-6, on Sunday to settle for a runner-up finish in her season-ending tournament.

Eala kept Liu within reach early in the opening set but, after taking a medical timeout at 3-4, saw the American bet take the final two games to pull away.

Liu never looked back, completing the upset of Eala and claiming the title in their second career meeting after also beating the Filipina in their first encounter at the 2025 Guangzhou Open Round of 32.

Eala officially wrapped up an eventful 2026 campaign highlighted by multiple career-high rankings, a maiden WTA 500 crown at the Mubadala Citi DC Open, and a second WTA 125 title at the Birmingham Open.

By stunning Eala, Liu became the first American to ever win the Hong Kong Open title, and she did it in style.

Liu punished Eala from the service deck right from the get-go to take the first game in Set 1, but the Filipina roared back and swept Liu three times in the next four games to force a 3-all deadlock.

Eala, however, called for a medical timeout to have her right knee taped after Liu won Game 7 to take a 4-3 lead. The American then capitalized on a string of Eala errors in the next two games, including a return infraction in Game 9, to wrap up the opening set.

Eala looked to reset in the second set and made a promising start, but squandered seven game points in a grueling 26-minute opener that ultimately went Liu's way.

Liu then took complete control, sweeping the next five games and overwhelming Eala with powerful returns in Game 5 before firing three consecutive aces to seal the match in Game 6.

"First and foremost, I want to congratulate Claire on an amazing tournament, a great week and a great match. Very, very well-deserved congratulations," Eala said.

"I'd like to thank the tournament staff and the organizers for the amazing hospitality, the physios for keeping me together. And of course, the fans. Thank you, thank you, thank you."

Alex Eala's Season recap (singles)

Asian swing

• Pan Pacific Open — Quarterfinals
• Ningbo Open — Round of 16
• Wuhan Open — Round of 64
• Singapore Tennis Open — Round of 16

North American swing

• US Open — Round of 32
• Cincinnati Open — Round of 32
• Canadian Open — Round of 16
• DC Open — Champion

Grass-court swing

• Wimbledon (Grand Slam) — Round of 16
• Bad Homburg Open (WTA 500) — Round of 32
• Berlin Tennis Open (WTA 500) — Semifinals
• HSBC Championships (WTA 500) — Round of 16
• Birmingham Open (WTA 125) — Champion

Clay-court swing

• French Open (Grand Slam) — Round of 128
• Italian Open (WTA 1000) — Round of 32
• Madrid Open (WTA 1000) — Round of 64
• Stuttgart Open (WTA 500) — Round of 32
• Linz Open (WTA 500) — Round of 16

Sunshine Swing

• Miami Open (WTA 1000) — Round of 16
• Indian Wells Open (WTA 1000) — Round of 16

Middle East Swing

• Dubai Tennis Championships (WTA 1000) — Quarterfinals
• Qatar Open (WTA 1000) — Round of 64
• Abu Dhabi Open (WTA 500) — Quarterfinals

Philippine Women’s Open (WTA 125) — Quarterfinals

Australian Swing

• Australian Open (Grand Slam) — Round of 128
• ASB Classic (WTA 250) — Semifinals

—JKC, GMA News