Eala-Kichenok tandem bow to Piter-Tjen in Guangzhou Open doubles semis

Filipina tennis ace Alex Eala and Ukrainian partner Nadiia Kichenok fell short of a finals berth after yielding to Poland’s Katarzyna Piter and Indonesia’s Janice Tjen, 6(4)-7, 6-3, 10-5, in the Guangzhou Open 2025 women’s doubles semifinals in China, Oct. 25.

Eala and Kichenok claimed the opening set in a tight tiebreak before Piter and Tjen mounted a strong comeback, taking the second frame and dominating the deciding match tiebreak. 

The Polish-Indonesian duo surged ahead early, 4-1, and never looked back to seal the one-hour, 47-minute victory.

Despite committing no double faults, Eala and Kichenok converted only two of eight break-point opportunities, while their opponents capitalized on four to control key moments of the match.

The loss ended Eala’s bid to return to a WTA doubles final, her first since partnering with Germany’s Eva Lys at Wimbledon earlier this year. 

It also marked her second straight defeat to Tjen, who previously bested her in singles play at the São Paulo Open.

Eala and Kichenok earlier swept China’s Qianhui Tang and Great Britain’s Emily Appleton, 6-4, 6-2, in the Round of 16 before outlasting Russians Polina Kudermetova and Kamilla Rakhimova, 6-3, 7-5, in the quarterfinals.

Eala will next compete at the Hong Kong Open from Oct. 27 to Nov. 2 to wrap up her China tour.