Alexandra Eala’s Career Finals (2022–2026) — From Her ITF Beginnings to the Hong Kong Open 2026 Final.
In June 2022, Alexandra Eala was 17 years old, ranked world No. 413 and preparing for the first professional singles final of her career at an ITF tournament in Madrid.
She lost that match to Spain’s Marina Bassols Ribera. Few outside Philippine tennis would have paid much attention.
Four years later, Eala is 21, virtually ranked world No. 15 and preparing for another final, this time at the Hong Kong Open, after defeating former world No. 3 Maria Sakkari 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 in Saturday’s semifinal.
It will be her third WTA Tour-level singles final, or fifth when WTA 125 events are included.
But the most interesting number may be her existing record across all professional levels: six titles from ten completed finals.
| Date | Tournament | Surface | W/L | Eala Rank | Opponent | Opponent Rank | Score | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-7 | Washington Open | Hard | W | 28 | Jessica Pegula (USA) | 3 | 4-6 6-4 6-0 | 1h45m |
| 2026-6 | Birmingham 125 | Grass | W | 37 | Nikola Bartunkova (CZE) | 69 | 5-7 6-3 7-5 | 2h37m |
| 2025-9 | Guadalajara 125 | Hard | W | 75 | Panna Udvardy (HUN) | 134 | 1-6 7-5 6-3 | – |
| 2025-6 | Eastbourne Open | Grass | L | 74 | Maya Joint (AUS) | 51 | 6-4 1-6 7-6(10) | 2h26m |
| 2024-7 | ITF W100 Vitoria-Gasteiz | Hard | W | 155 | (7) Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva (AND) | 231 | 6-4 6-4 | – |
| 2023-11 | ITF W40 Petange | Hard | L | 204 | (3) Oceane Dodin (FRA) | 101 | 6-1 7-5 | – |
| 2023-8 | ITF W25 Aldershot | Hard | L | 248 | (6) Destanee Aiava (AUS) | 270 | 3-6 6-4 6-1 | – |
| 2023-8 | ITF W25 Roehampton | Hard | W | 248 | (2) Arina Rodionova (AUS) | 197 | 6-2 6-3 | – |
| 2023-5 | ITF W25 Yecla | Hard | W | 266 | Valentina Ryser (SUI) | 560 | 6-3 7-5 | – |
| 2022-6 | ITF W60 Madrid | Hard | L | 413 | (14) Marina Bassols Ribera (ESP) | 321 | 6-4 7-5 | – |
| 2022-4 | ITF W25 Chiang Rai | Hard | W | 572 | (1) Indy De Vroome (NED) | 263 | 6-2 6-3 | – |
Those results trace a career that began with defeats on the ITF circuit, passed through a heartbreaking first WTA Tour final and eventually brought her victories over increasingly formidable opponents.
On Sunday, Claire Liu will stand between Eala and another trophy.
Madrid 2022: A First Final at Just 17
Eala’s first professional singles final came at the ITF W60 tournament in Madrid in June 2022.
The Filipino teenager was ranked No. 413 when she faced Spain’s Marina Bassols Ribera, then world No. 321.
Bassols Ribera won 6-4, 7-5, denying Eala what would have been her first professional title.
For a player still learning to navigate the professional circuit, however, reaching a final at that level was already significant.
Eala was only beginning the long process of exchanging junior success for ranking points and victories against experienced professionals.
The disappointment in Madrid would not be her last.
Four ITF Finals in 2023 Bring Both Progress and Disappointment
By May 2023, around her 18th birthday, Eala had climbed to world No. 266.
At the ITF W25 tournament in Yecla, Spain, she faced Switzerland’s Valentina Ryser, ranked No. 560.
This time, Eala finished the job.
A 6-3, 7-5 victory gave her the first professional singles title of her career.
Three months later, now 18 and ranked No. 248, she reached another W25 final in Roehampton, Britain.
Her opponent, Australian Arina Rodionova, was ranked No. 197.
Eala won convincingly, 6-2, 6-3, collecting another trophy against a higher-ranked player.
But her next final provided a reminder that progress rarely follows a straight line.
At Aldershot later that August, Eala lost to Australia’s Destanee Aiava, ranked No. 270, in three sets: 3-6, 6-4, 6-1.
November brought another disappointment.
At the ITF W40 tournament in Pétange, Luxembourg, Eala faced France’s Océane Dodin, then world No. 101.
The Frenchwoman prevailed 6-1, 7-5.
Eala had now contested five professional finals, winning two and losing three. Her ranking had improved considerably, but competing regularly at WTA Tour level remained a difficult objective.
A Bigger ITF Title at 19 in Spain
The following summer brought another important step.
In July 2024, Eala arrived at the ITF W100 tournament in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain, ranked No. 155.
Now 19, she faced Andorra’s Victoria Jiménez Kasintseva, ranked No. 231, in the final.
Eala won 6-4, 6-4.
It was her biggest ITF singles title to that point and took her record in finals on the circuit to three wins and three defeats.
More importantly, her ranking had climbed from No. 413 at her first final to No. 155.
Could she now translate that progress into success at WTA level?
Eastbourne 2025: A First WTA Tour Final Ends in Heartbreak
At 20, Eala reached her first WTA Tour-level singles final at the Eastbourne Open in June 2025.
The Filipino entered the tournament ranked No. 74 and faced Australian Maya Joint, then No. 51.
What followed was one of the most painful defeats of Eala’s developing career.
Joint won 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(10), taking an extraordinary deciding-set tiebreak 12-10.
Eala had come within two points of a first WTA Tour title but left Eastbourne without the trophy.
The result nevertheless marked another breakthrough.
She was no longer merely collecting victories on the ITF circuit. She was competing for titles against established WTA players on one of the sport’s most demanding surfaces.
And unlike some of her earlier final defeats, Eastbourne was followed by a remarkable change in fortune.
Three Consecutive Finals Bring Three Titles
Eala did not lose another final during the following 16 months.
Her next appearance in a championship match came at the WTA 125 tournament in Guadalajara in September 2025.
Ranked No. 75, the 20-year-old faced Hungary’s Panna Udvardy, then No. 134.
After losing the opening set 1-6, Eala recovered to win 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, claiming her first WTA 125 singles title.
In June 2026, now 21 and ranked No. 37, she reached the Birmingham WTA 125 final on grass.
Her opponent was Czech teenager Nikola Bartunkova, ranked No. 69.
Again, Eala lost the opening set. Again, she recovered.
A 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 victory brought another title and further evidence of her growing ability to handle the pressure of a final.
But the biggest achievement was still to come.
In July 2026, Eala reached the Washington Open final ranked world No. 28.
Waiting for her was Jessica Pegula, the American world No. 3.
This time, the difference in ranking was enormous.
It made little difference to the result.
Eala recovered from losing the opening set to win 4-6, 6-4, 6-0, capturing her first WTA Tour-level singles title.
Three consecutive finals, three victories, and each success more significant than the last.
Her record across ITF, WTA 125 and WTA Tour events had improved to 6-4 in finals.
She now arrives at another championship match having won her previous three.
How Eala Reached the Hong Kong Final Against Maria Sakkari
Eala’s semifinal against fourth seed Maria Sakkari was hardly straightforward.
The Filipino broke immediately in the opening set and moved ahead 2-0, but Sakkari recovered to level at 3-3.
The players exchanged further breaks before Eala secured another crucial breakthrough at 5-5.
She served out the opening set 7-5.
Sakkari responded strongly, breaking early in the second set to establish a 3-0 lead. The Greek protected that advantage and eventually took the set 6-3, forcing a decider.
Eala appeared to regain control by racing into a 3-0 lead in the third set.
She extended her advantage to 4-1, but Sakkari refused to disappear.
The Greek recovered to 4-4, threatening to overturn the match just as Eala seemed to have secured it.
This time, the Filipino held firm.
Eala held serve for 5-4 and then broke Sakkari to complete the 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 victory.
She was into another final, four years and five months after that first appearance in Madrid.
Key Match Stats: Alexandra Eala vs. Maria Sakkari
Sakkari served considerably more aces, hitting 12 compared with Eala’s two. But the Filipino was more consistent behind both deliveries and committed seven fewer unforced errors.
| Sakkari | Statistic | Eala |
|---|---|---|
| Full Match Duration: 2h58m | ||
| 0.85 | Dominance Ratio | 1.18 |
| 43 | Winners | 45 |
| 38 | Unforced Errors | 31 |
| 239 | Serve Rating | 270 |
| 12 | Aces | 2 |
| 6 | Double Faults | 1 |
| 65% (85/130) | 1st Serve % | 79% (77/97) |
| 59% (50/85) | 1st Serve Points Won | 62% (48/77) |
| 44% (20/45) | 2nd Serve Points Won | 55% (11/20) |
| 77% (17/22) | Break Points Saved | 56% (5/9) |
| 154 | Return Rating | 151 |
| 38% (29/77) | 1st Return Points Won | 41% (35/85) |
| 45% (9/20) | 2nd Return Points Won | 56% (25/45) |
| 4/9 | Break Points Won | 5/22 |
| 108 | Total Points Won | 119 |
Created by rallyher.comEala also won 25 of the 45 points played against Sakkari’s second serve, repeatedly putting pressure on the Greek.
The match featured nine breaks of serve, five for Eala and four for Sakkari.
Across 227 points, Eala finished with a narrow but significant advantage, winning 119 compared with Sakkari’s 108.
Her ability to recover after surrendering a 4-1 lead in the deciding set ultimately proved decisive.
Claire Liu Awaits in Sunday’s Hong Kong Final
Standing between Eala and another title is 26-year-old American Claire Liu, who has spent much of 2026 competing away from the bigger WTA tournaments.
The Californian has made good use of that time, winning titles in Barranquilla and Trnava before arriving in Hong Kong ranked world No. 102.
That ranking should not fool anyone. Liu has played excellent tennis this week, including a convincing 6-1, 6-4 quarterfinal victory over Turkey’s Zeynep Sönmez.
That victory over Zeynep Sönmez offered a warning to Eala. Liu held serve in all nine of her service games, winning an impressive 85% of points behind her first delivery.
That sets up an interesting contest. Eala created 22 break-point opportunities against Maria Sakkari in the semifinals, converting five. But Liu’s serving against Sönmez suggests those opportunities may be harder to find on Sunday.
Eala enters as the higher-ranked player, but Liu has already shown that the rankings need not dictate what happens on court.
Sunday’s final could come down to a simple question: can Eala put enough pressure on Liu’s serve, or will the American deny her the chances she enjoyed against Sakkari?