By El Amigo
ALEX Eala suffered yet another loss against a Chinese opponent, surrendering a one-set advantage before qualifier Han Shi engineered a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 upset to send the Filipina crashing out of the Wuhan Open on Monday night.
Eala, ranked No. 19 in the world, appeared on course for victory after claiming the opening set against the world No. 217 Shi. But the Chinese underdog turned the match around, exposing the Filipina’s inability to maintain her early advantage and closing out the contest in two hours and 27 minutes.
The defeat ended Eala’s singles campaign in the WTA 1000 tournament far earlier than expected, denying her a chance to collect valuable ranking points and build momentum against a field packed with elite players.
The Filipina started strongly enough, taking the first set, 6-4, after a competitive opening exchange. However, Shi refused to fold. The qualifier stepped up her game in the second set, applying pressure in the rallies and capitalizing on her opportunities to level the match at one set apiece.
With the contest hanging in the balance, Shi struck again in the deciding set. An early lead put Eala on the back foot, and the Filipina struggled to find the answers needed to halt her opponent’s charge. Shi maintained her composure in the closing stages to complete the comeback and celebrate a major career breakthrough before the home crowd.
The result was a significant upset given the gap in the players’ rankings. Shi had earned her main-draw place through qualifying, while Eala arrived as one of the tournament’s seeded competitors. The Chinese player’s victory marked her first career win over a Top 20 opponent and her first main-draw triumph at a WTA 1000 event.
For Eala, the Wuhan loss adds to a demanding stretch of competition in Asia. She previously exited the Singapore Tennis Open in the Round of 16 after falling to Tatiana Prozorova in three sets.
At the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, she reached the women’s singles semifinals but China’s Wang Xiyu got in her way in the semifinals, settling for bronze.
Those results contrast with Eala’s breakthrough earlier in the season at the Mubadala Citi DC Open in Washington, D.C. There, she defeated American star Jessica Pegula to win her maiden WTA Tour singles title, becoming the first Filipina to achieve the feat.
That historic triumph demonstrated Eala’s ability to challenge top-level opponents. The latest defeat, however, highlights the challenge of sustaining that standard from one tournament to the next. A promising start was not enough in Wuhan, where Shi’s resilience proved decisive.
Eala will now have to regroup and refocus on the remaining opportunities in her season, while Shi advances to the Round of 32 to face Canada’s Leylah Fernandez.
For the Chinese qualifier, it was a breakthrough performance. For Eala, it was another early exit that leaves questions to answer as she seeks to regain her winning touch.
