By el Amigo
MANILA — A knee concern, a medical timeout and a championship opportunity slipping away.
Alex Eala’s impressive campaign at the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open ended on a painful note Sunday after the Filipina ace absorbed a crushing 6-3, 6-0 defeat to American Claire Liu in the singles final.
The 21-year-old Eala, seeded No. 2 and ranked No. 17 in the world, found herself struggling against Liu, who dictated the exchanges and prevented the Filipina from mounting a serious challenge.
Adding to her problems, Eala called for a medical timeout while trailing 3-4 in the opening set, requiring treatment on her knee before resuming play.
The stoppage came at a critical juncture. Liu took the next two games to close out the opening set, then swept through the second without allowing Eala to recover.
The medical episode was particularly concerning because Eala had earlier been spotted wearing tape on her right knee during the Hong Kong tournament.
Although she had previously assured reporters that she was feeling good, the need for treatment during the final raised fresh questions about her physical condition.
There was little opportunity for Eala to regain her rhythm as Liu maintained her aggressive approach and completed the rout.
The defeat was a bitter ending to an otherwise impressive tournament for the Filipina, who had battled through four matches to reach the championship round.
Her biggest test came in the semifinals, where she outlasted former world No. 3 Maria Sakkari of Greece, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4, in a rain-interrupted marathon.
But the physical demands of a long season and a challenging Hong Kong campaign provided a difficult backdrop to Sunday’s final.
For Liu, the victory delivered her first WTA Tour singles crown.
For Eala, it was a disappointing conclusion to a season of significant breakthroughs, highlighted by her Washington championship and rise to world No. 17.
