At A Glance
- Alex Eala overcame an early challenge from unseeded Chinese Lu Jiajing before pulling away for a 6-4, 6-1 victory to secure a spot in the semifinals of the 2025 Jingshan Tennis Open in China on Friday, Sept. 26.
Alex Eala inches closer to a second WTA title. (File Photo/Alex Eala Facebook)
Alex Eala overcame an early challenge from unseeded Chinese Lu Jiajing before pulling away for a 6-4, 6-1 victory to secure a spot in the semifinals of the 2025 Jingshan Tennis Open in China on Friday, Sept. 26.
The top-seeded Filipina broke a 4-all deadlock by winning the next two games to claim the opening set, then dictated the pace in the second to move one step closer to the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA125) title.
With the win, the 20-year-old Eala arranged a Final Four clash with third seed Lulu Sun, who earlier dispatched Elena Pridankina, 6-2, 6-4.
This will be the second meeting between Eala and Sun on the WTA circuit. They first faced off in the qualifying round of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships, where the Kiwi prevailed in straight sets, 7-6 (3), 7-5.
The 24-year-old Sun is currently ranked No. 146 in the WTA singles rankings -- 88 spots behind Eala, who sits at No. 58. Both are left-handers.
Sun, however, reached a career-high ranking of No. 39 in September last year, following a breakout performance at the 2024 Wimbledon. There, she stormed through the qualifiers and pulled off stunning wins -- including over eighth seed Zheng Qinwen and 2021 champion Emma Raducanu -- to reach the quarterfinals.
Her most recent appearance before Jingshan was at the US Open, where she reached the Round of 64.
Eala, meanwhile, is riding high after capturing her maiden WTA title at the Guadalajara Open earlier this month, followed by a quarterfinal finish at the Sao Paulo Open in Brazil.