Third Time Truly the Charm
Alex Eala has been building momentum throughout the closing stretch of the 2026 season, and on Thursday evening she added another milestone by defeating Tereza Valentova for the very first time on the WTA Tour. The Filipino star had fallen short in their two previous meetings, but this time she held firm under pressure, claiming a 6-4, 7-6 (7) victory in the Hong Kong Open round of 16 at Victoria Park Centre Court.
The first set saw Eala control the tempo well enough to take it comfortably at 6-4, but Valentova refused to wilt in the second, pushing the match into a tiebreak that went all the way to 7 points. Eala, who earlier in the 2026 season suffered a painful double-fault in a Tokyo tiebreak that ended her run there in the quarterfinals, showed she had learned from that experience by keeping her nerve when it mattered most in Hong Kong. The win erased what had been a nagging head-to-head deficit and confirmed Eala's growing ability to close out the tightest situations.
Building Toward a Big Finish
This result continues an impressive late-season run for Eala, who had already navigated the Hong Kong draw by brushing aside a late replacement in the previous round. Getting past a familiar rival who knew her game inside out makes this quarterfinal berth all the more satisfying. With confidence high and momentum on her side, the young Filipino will be eager to push even deeper into the draw and cap her 2026 campaign on a high note in Hong Kong.
TennisDraw users had Eala as one of the more intriguing picks to emerge from the bottom half of the Hong Kong Open draw.
