Alex Eala Survives Sakkari and Eight Rain Delays to Reach Hong Kong Open Final Against American Claire Liu

HONG KONG — Alex Eala's breakout season will end with one more shot at a title. The Filipina tennis star beat Greece's Maria Sakkari 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 on Saturday to reach the final of the Hong Kong Tennis Open, in a semifinal repeatedly halted by rain.

The match was interrupted eight times by rain. It lasted 2 hours, 43 minutes, and sent Eala to the third WTA final of her career. It is her second final this year.

In Sunday's final, Eala will face world No. 102 Claire Liu.

Patience pays off

The second-seeded Eala described the win as a test of composure. "It was a lot of patience, a lot of focus," she said, adding she was glad to "come out of that a better player."

She called the semifinal an "incredibly challenging match" that required immense patience and focus.

How the match unfolded

The first set swung back and forth. Eala saw an early break lead vanish before striking late to win the set. Sakkari went ahead 5-4 before Eala won the next three games to take the opener 7-5.

The weather then took over. Light rain was falling as the second set began. When Eala finally earned two break points at 3-5, another shower halted play, and Sakkari came back out to close the set.

The deciding set nearly slipped away too. Eala went up 3-0, then 4-1, before Sakkari held, broke and held again to level at 4-4.

Eala responded when it mattered most. A clutch hold in the ninth game put her ahead 5-4, and Sakkari, serving to stay alive, ran out of fuel as Eala closed out the set 6-4.

By the numbers

Sakkari's serve kept her in the match. The Greek had 12 aces to Eala's two and saved 17 of the 22 break points she faced. But she also served six double faults to Eala's one, while Eala landed 79% of her first serves and broke five times, according to Tennis Majors.

Sakkari also committed 38 unforced errors to Eala's 31.

A first meeting with a veteran

The semifinal was the first career meeting between the two players. Sakkari, 31, is a former world No. 3 and reached the French Open and US Open semifinals in 2021.

Rankings milestone

The win brought another personal milestone. After beating Sakkari, Eala climbed to a career-high No. 15 in the WTA live rankings. She started the 2026 season at No. 50.

A chance for revenge

Sunday's final has a backstory. Liu, then ranked No. 305, upset Eala in the first round of the 2025 Guangzhou Open in their only previous meeting. Liu reached the final after a 7-5, 6-4 semifinal win over Russia's Alexandra Shubladze.

Eala said the rematch would be another chance to apply the lessons she has learned over the past year.

Season finale

The tournament will close out Eala's year either way. The Hong Kong Open is her final official event of 2026, and she heads home for a homecoming celebration at the Philippine Arena on Dec. 8.