Alex Eala advanced to the semifinals of the Prudential Hong Kong Open after outlasting Croatia’s Antonia Ružić in a nearly three-hour quarterfinal battle Thursday night, winning 7-6 (9-7), 7-5 despite a late rain interruption.
The 21-year-old Filipino had to work for practically every inch of her victory against the world No. 67, who pushed her into a tense opening-set tiebreak and continued to threaten in the second.
Ranked No. 79, Eala drew on the lessons of her previous night’s match to navigate another demanding encounter, winning the crucial first-set tiebreak before finding a way to close out the second without allowing the contest to reach another one.
“It was a roller coaster for sure, and an incredible battle,” Eala said in her on-court interview. She credited Ružić for playing an excellent match and admitted she was not entirely sure what kept her going through the difficult stretches.
“I don’t know what inspired me or kept me to continue digging deeper,” she said. “But Antonia played a really amazing match, and I’m blessed to be able to play another round here.”
The victory that sent Eala to the final four of the tournament is projected to lift her WTA rankings to No. 16, past Naomi Osaka.
The opening set was particularly tight, with neither player able to establish a comfortable advantage. Eala eventually prevailed in the tiebreak, 9-7, to take a potentially decisive lead after an extended exchange of breaks and service holds.
Ružić refused to fold in the second set, keeping the pressure on the Filipina and forcing her to stay sharp deep into the night. But Eala improved her execution in the closing stages, taking the set 7-5 to avoid another tiebreak and secure her place in the last four.
The victory sends Eala into her fourth semifinal of 2026, where she faces on Saturday night another formidable test in fourth seed Maria Sakkari. The Greek star now stands between the Filipina and a place in the final.
Asked what helped her maintain her composure, Eala said the challenge went beyond simply staying focused.
“When you’re on court, there’s kind of not much else you can think about except how to play,” she said. “But more than staying focused, it was just choosing to push through and give everything that I have.”
Eala finished with 106 points won against Ružić’s 91, while holding an advantage in receiving points, 50-46. She converted six of 13 break-point opportunities, compared with five of 16 for the Croatian.
Her second serve proved particularly important, with Eala winning 56 percent of points behind it against Ružić’s 46 percent. She also committed only three double faults, four fewer than her opponent’s seven.
Ružić actually had a better first-serve percentage at 65 percent against Eala’s 59 percent, but the Filipina was more effective in winning points on both first and second serves.
The late-night rain delay further stretched an already lengthy contest, but Eala found enough resolve to finish the job. Another demanding night had ended with a semifinal ticket, and the Filipina had once again shown that sometimes advancing means simply refusing to give in.
