Eala loses steam as Liu mounts comeback at Guangzhou Open

After a dominant start, Filipina tennis star Alex Eala lost momentum and yielded a grueling three-set duel to American Claire Liu, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, exiting the round of 32 of the Guangzhou Open 2025 in China, Oct. 21.

Eala’s tournament marked a continuation of her Asian swing struggles, following early exits in Wuhan and Japan, and now she has lost three straight tour-level matches. 

The fourth-seeded Filipina came out firing in the first set but failed to sustain her momentum as Liu mounted a comeback and sealed the match after a two-hour and 28-minute grind. 

Eala started the opening salvo in blistering form with her trademark baseline plays, banking the American foe to cruise through the first set, 6-2.

Turning the tide in the second canto, the American Liu strung together four straight games after trailing behind 2-4 to snatch the set and push a fightback set.

From there on, Eala blew a 3-1 lead in the final frame as Liu refused to fade in reeling off five of the next six games to complete the comeback and secure her spot in round of 16.

Based on the stats sheet, Eala’s three double faults proved costly compared to Liu’s lone miscue while both netters converted break points apiece. 

Meanwhile, Eala climbed to a new career-high ranking of WTA No. 53 just a day after her campaign, moving up one spot from her previous best of no. 54. The Filipina remains in pursuit for a Top-50 placing despite a modest stretch in recent plays. 

World No. 305 Liu, coming back from her injury-shortened season in 2024, marks the win against Eala as her first main-draw triumph since her Miami Open campaign last year. 

 Despite the singles setback, Eala now sets her focus to the doubles round of 16 event where she will fuse with Nadiia Kichenok to battle duo Tang Qianhio and Emily Appleton on Oct. 23.