Alexandra Eala and Claire Liu booked their places in the Hong Kong singles final on November 7. Eala defeated Maria Sakkari 7–5, 3–6, 6–4 in two hours and 43 minutes. Liu beat Alexandra Shubladze 7–5, 6–4 in one hour and 58 minutes in the other semifinal.
Eala responds twice after losing her lead
Eala won the first ten points and led the opening set 3–1, but Sakkari twice recovered a break to move 5–4 ahead. Eala responded with three straight games for 7–5. Sakkari opened the second set 3–0. Intermittent showers repeatedly stopped play, often after only a few points, but she retained enough control to level the match 6–3.
Eala led the deciding set 4–1 after a love hold. Sakkari saved two break points to hold, converted her second break point to close to 3–4, then saved two more before a backhand winner levelled the set at 4–4. Eala held for 5–4; a Sakkari double fault then brought up match point. Sakkari saved the first, but eventually netted a backhand to end the match. Eala told WTA that patience and focus had been essential through the rain breaks.
Liu reaches the final without losing a set, seeking a first title
Eala reached her third career WTA Tour final and second of 2026. Liu returned to a tour-level final for the first time since Rabat in 2022, having beaten Prozorova, Boulter, Sonmez and Shubladze without dropping a set this week. It is also Liu’s first hard-court final at WTA Tour level, with a first tour title at stake; Eala is seeking her second. WTA’s pre-final report projected Eala to make her top-15 debut the following week and Liu, who began outside the top 100, to return to the top 80. Those were ranking projections at the time, not an already published new list.
Liu arrived without a previous win at this tournament but has now beaten four opponents, including eighth seed Boulter. She said she was pleased to finish the season with such a week and hoped to play good tennis in the final regardless of her opponent. Her hard-court title in Barranquilla in September was at WTA 125 level, distinct from the tour-level trophy at stake here.
Liu won their only meeting as the finalists chase different milestones
Liu arrives with four straight-set wins this week and victory from a set down in their only previous meeting, in Guangzhou last year. The final brings together a player who has progressed consistently this week and one who has just withstood repeated recoveries. Those routes and their previous meeting frame the contest, while the outcome depends on how they play on the day.
