ALEX Eala returned to form on Tuesday night, opening her 2025 Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open campaign with a 6-4, 2-1 (ret.) victory over Great Britain’s Katie Boulter.
Eala, 20, looked impressive before the match was stopped at the one-hour, nine-minute mark after Boulter retired early in the second set, calling for a trainer during a medical timeout while trailing by a game.
READ Long queues at HK Open as Alex Eala gets all the love from fans
A loud crowd at Victoria Park Tennis Centre cheered Eala on in a win that marked a much-needed rebound for the Filipino ranked No. 51 in the world, who had suffered first-round exits in her last three tournaments.
After her victory, Eala, speaking in Filipino, took the opportunity to thank her countrymen who are either based in the former British colony or travelled to support her in the WTA's Asian swing.
The Hong Kong stop marks the Filipina’s sixth tournament in her Asian swing, and the closest one yet to home.
“Hello mga kababayan. Maraming-maraming salamat sa mga nanonood ngayon, sa Pilipinas, sa mga bumiyahe—thank you so much,” she said.
Eala advances to the round of 16, where she will face Canadian third seed Victoria Mboko on Thursday.
Before the abrupt end, Eala survived a late surge from Boulter in the opening set, stringing together two straight games to close it out after being tied at 4-all.
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