Alexandra Eala Beats Maria Sakkari to Reach Hong Kong Open Final

Alexandra Eala of the Philippines defeated Greece’s Maria Sakkari 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 in Hong Kong on November 7 to reach her third career WTA final. The rain-affected semifinal lasted 2 hours and 43 minutes. Eala will face American Claire Liu for the singles title. Liu secured the other place in the final by beating Alexandra Shubladze 7-5, 6-4 earlier on Saturday. Their semifinal lasted 1 hour and 58 minutes. Liu had arrived at the tournament without a previous match win there, then won four matches to reach her first WTA final since Rabat in 2022. Eala’s semifinal victory followed another lengthy contest on Friday, when the second seed beat Antonia Ruzic in the quarterfinals. That match lasted 2 hours and 30 minutes and featured 29 break points and 11 service breaks. Rain interrupted play for just over 20 minutes. Eala saved a set point in the opening set and won the last three games of the match. “It was a rollercoaster for sure and an incredible battle,” Eala said after Friday’s quarterfinal. That result had taken her into her fourth semifinal of 2026. Saturday’s win over Sakkari carried her through the next round and completed the final pairing with Liu.