Victoria Park Tennis Center Court was rocking on Tuesday night, as hundreds of fans of Filipino star Alexandra Eala packed into the stadium to watch the 20-year-old in action at the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open.
And they were not disappointed, as Eala and Katie Boulter played more than an hour of blood and thunder tennis, before the Briton pulled out of the match during the second set with an injury.
“I’m really happy to advance to the next round,” Eala said. “Obviously, it’s not in the way I wanted it to end, but in the end, I think I displayed a really high level of tennis, and I think that Katie did as well.
“I feel so at home [in Hong Kong], and I feel so much love, so I really enjoy playing here. This is my first time playing here as a professional.”
The first set, which Eala won 6-4, started with both players pushing each other to the absolute limit, as the first four games all went with serve and to 40-30. That pattern was broken when Eala needed an advantage to hold in the fifth game, and when she did, a huge roar erupted from the fans.
Eala came close to threatening the set’s first break when all she had to do was volley the ball away from Boulter, but with all the time in the world, the youngster still smashed the ball out.
The first set was full of fantastic plays between the two top 100 players. At 3-2, Eala hit a forehand shot right in the corner, which Boulter did well to return, again setting up Eala for another volley. This one she managed to hit in, but the Brit’s return sailed out to concede the first break.
With both players competing at full throttle, that break seemed pivotal, but Boulter came out fighting, converting a double break point and then holding to love.
At 5-4, the fans were treated to more phenomenal tennis. The point of the match arguably came from Boulter, who was running away from the net to return a lob and scored by hitting a backhand passing shot while turning on the baseline, completely stunning Eala.
But that was not the end of the action in the ninth game, as Eala broke for the set with a cross-court forehand that completely wrongfooted her opponent.
The second set started with the same amount of ferocity that the first ended in, with both players breaking each other straight away. But, during the opening games of the second set, Boulter kept turning away and shaking her head, visibly upset about something.
Eala held the third game, and Boulter used that time to call for a medical timeout, but quickly announced she would be unable to continue. She was clearly upset and had played the game with her leg heavily strapped.
“I’m a little lost for words,” Eala said. “This time of year is a tough moment for a lot of players, physically and mentally, being the end of the season.
“I hope that Katie can take this time to recover and just look back at your season proudly.”
And Hong Kong fans witnessed a moment of history, as Eudice Chong beat Suzan Lamens of the Netherlands in straight sets for the first main-draw win of her career and her first-ever victory over a top 100 player.
The 6-3, 6-4 win was a huge moment for Chong, who had only one qualifying win in the city in her five outings at the Hong Kong Open since 2016.
Before Eala took to the center court, Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic, who won the Japan Open in Tokyo on Sunday, also graced the center court. The 28-year-old, who celebrated her tournament win with a McDonald’s in the airport, did not show any signs of fatigue, taking down Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-3, 6-4. And before that, 2023 champion Leylah Fernandez got her first win of the tournament, beating China’s Wang Xiyu 6-1, 6-4.