Alex Eala has a way of playing some brutally frustrating matches. She often digs herself into trouble only to find her way back out, and this happens even against seemingly less talented opponents. That was the case in Eala's quarterfinal match at the Hong Kong Tennis Open against Antonia Ruzic.
It is the Filipina's apparent inability to dispatch opponents with ease that is telling about her game overall. She is a good player and capable of brilliance, but is also capable of mind-numbing inconsistency even within sets.
In the opening set against Ruzic, each player held with relative ease through six games. That is when the mess began. Through the rest of the set, neither player could hold. Eala's own service games were exceedingly long but ultimately fruitless. Great players are able to take advantage of situations when they keep breaking their opponent; Eala often cannot.
It wasn't pretty but Alex Eala moves on at the Hong Kong Tennis Open
Even the first set tie-break was not as easy as it should have been. Eala jumped out to a 5-0 lead only to let Ruzic scratch back to 4-5, and then tie the breaker at 7-all. The Filipina would eventually win the breaker 9-7, but this wasn't about glorious play; it was about trying to limit mistakes at the most important moments.
Alexandra Eala appears to be able to raise her level against elite players (she is 9-4 when playing a top-10 player), but then struggles at times when facing a lesser-ranked foe. The reason is unknown, but if she ever corrects the latter trend, she would become a staple in the top 10 herself.
After leading 4-2 in the second set, Eala allowed Ruzic to climb back into the match again and tie the set at 4-all. Eala then got another break in a match full of them, and just needed to hold to move on to the semifinals. She was finally able to do that, but not as easily as she should have. She led 40-0 at 5-4, but then Ruzic inched back after a couple of mishit forehands by Eala.
In the end, the match wasn't pretty for the Filipina, but a win is a win. She is still in the running to earn her second title of the year.
Alex Eala will next play Maria Sakkari in the semifinals of the 2026 Hong Kong Tennis Open. Sakkari has struggled quite a bit over the last couple of years, but has played better in the latter part of 2026. She has the power to give Eala issues. Or Eala could win in two easy sets.
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