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| Alex Eala's 2026 season concluded in another heartbreaking final defeat. Getty Images |
TAGUIG—Alex Eala's 2026 season ended on a bitter note as Claire Liu delivered a better repeat of their previous meeting to win the Hong Kong Open on Sunday night.
Needing the full three sets to win their first meeting last year, Liu delivered a 6-3, 6-0 straight-set victory this time to win the last WTA 250 title for the year.
Eala lost an early chance to pull away after Liu broke back in Game 4 to tie Set 1 again at 2-2, and after both player held their serves, Liu zoomed ahead to take Set 1 with three straight game wins including a service break in Game 8.
With Eala getting slowed down by lingering pain on her right leg, Liu went for the bagel to complete her impressive championship run.
Liu, who entered the tournament in 102nd place in the WTA rankings, never dropped a set throughout her run and is now poised to return to the Top 70 by the official update on Monday.
Despite settling for the runner-up finish again, Eala will end the year with a new career-high, currently at 17th and could still go up to as high as 15th by Monday.
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