By El Amigo
MANILA – When the pressure mounted and the finish line seemed to recede, Alex Eala found another gear.
The Filipino tennis sensation dug deep into her reserves of strength and determination, turning back Croatia’s Antonia Ruzic, 7-6, 7-5, in an exhausting quarterfinal encounter to advance to the Hong Kong Open semifinals.
It was a victory that demanded more than technical skill from the world No. 17 Eala, who had to contend with a stubborn opponent, a succession of service breaks, a nerve-racking tiebreak and an untimely rain interruption.
Ruzic, the world No. 81, entered the match with confidence after knocking out sixth seed Wang Xinyu. She carried that fighting spirit into her showdown with Eala, refusing to be overwhelmed by the Filipina’s higher ranking.
The first set developed into a battle of attrition, with neither player able to establish lasting control.
After trading service breaks, the two reached a 6-6 deadlock, setting up a dramatic tiebreak.
Eala surged to a 4-0 lead but watched Ruzic claw her way back into contention. The Croatian erased Eala’s 6-4 set-point advantage and later secured a set point of her own.
But Eala demonstrated the composure expected of a top-ranked player, responding with a delicate drop shot to move ahead before finally claiming the tiebreak and the opening set, 7-6.
The battle continued in the second set.
Eala established a 4-2 cushion, only for Ruzic to cut the margin to 4-3. Rain then forced a suspension, interrupting the rhythm of both players at a crucial stage of the match.
Upon resumption, Ruzic seized the initiative, winning the next two games to take a 5-4 lead and put Eala on the brink of having to play a deciding third set.
The Filipina refused to let the opportunity slip.
She regrouped, held her nerve and fought back to level at 5-5 before taking the next game for a 6-5 advantage.
With victory within reach, Eala completed the job, winning the second set, 7-5, and sealing her place in the last four.
The straight-sets result hardly reflected the difficulty of the contest. Eala had to overcome repeated challenges from a determined opponent while managing the physical and mental demands of a match that stretched beyond two and a half hours.
Her achievement was particularly impressive coming after another demanding encounter against Tereza Valentova in the previous round.
For Eala, the victory was another demonstration that success at the highest level is not always about producing spectacular winners. Sometimes, it is about absorbing pressure, recovering from setbacks and finding the courage to fight for one more point.
The Filipina has now earned another opportunity to move closer to the Hong Kong Open championship.
Alex Eala will face Greece’s Maria Sakkari, the No. 4 seed, in the semifinals of the 2026 Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open on Saturday, November 7.
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