Tearful Alex Eala loses Hong Kong Open final to Claire Liu in straight sets

Philippine’ tennis star Eala was left stunned after a 6-3, 6-0 loss to the 102-ranked American in Hong Kong.Published On 8 Nov 20268 Nov 2026Tennis trailblazer Alex Eala from the Philippines burst into tears as she reflected on a “life-changing” season after falling agonisingly short of a second WTA Tour title in Hong Kong.The second seed was stunned 6-3, 6-0 by Claire Liu in the final of the Hong Kong Open as the American, ranked 102nd, won her first tour title on Sunday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Tennis great Rafael Nadal set to join Real Madrid boardlist 2 of 3Former world No 3 Stan Wawrinka ends career in home match defeat in Basellist 3 of 3Bergs stuns Alcaraz in Shanghai as Zverev claims year’s top tennis rankingend of listEala is at a career-high 17 in the world after a breakout year in which the 21-year-old clinched her maiden title, in Washington, DC, in August.That victory made her the first player from the Philippines to win a tournament on the WTA Tour.Eala, set to rise to world number 15 next week, started the year ranked 50th.“This season has changed my life; it’s changed my life for the better,” Eala, who finished the final with heavy strapping on ...