Nine games from parity
Claire Liu defeated second seed Alexandra Eala 6-3, 6-0 in the Hong Kong final on November 8. The American secured her first WTA Tour singles title in one hour and 33 minutes.
Each player broke once in the first six games. From 3-3, Liu won nine consecutive games. She nevertheless said Eala had chances in almost every game and that winning individual points required assertive finishing.
A complete week and a ranking recovery
Liu beat Tatiana Prozorova, Katie Boulter, Zeynep Sonmez and Alexandra Shubladze before the final, all without losing a set. This was only her seventh tour main draw of the season. Ranked 102nd after starting the year at 221, she was projected by the WTA to return to the top 70.
Her career high was No.52 in January 2023. She credited her team’s continued support through a difficult season. Eala’s record in tour singles finals became 1-2, while Liu now leads their meetings 2-0.
Their previous meeting was a three-set first-round match in Guangzhou in 2025, also won by Liu. During the presentation, Eala said the season had changed her life for the better and that she was proud of the work she and her team had done to reach this point.
