Liu reels off nine straight games to beat Eala for Hong Kong title
American Claire Liu claimed her first singles title on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz with a straight-sets victory over No. 2 seed Alexandra Eala in the final of the Prudential Hong Kong Open on Sunday.
The final began evenly, with both players breaking serve once in the opening six games to leave the first set tied at 3-3. From there, Liu took control, winning nine consecutive games to seal a 6-3, 6-0 victory in one hour, 33 minutes.
Liu, ranked No. 102 in the WTA PIF Rankings, did not drop a set throughout the week en route to the title. She defeated Tatiana Prozorova, Katie Boulter, Zeynep Sonmez and Alexandra Shubladze all in straight sets to reach the final.
🏆🎾 Claire Liu is your PHKTO2026 Singles Champion! 👑💜 With a commanding performance from the baseline, Liu defeats No. 2 seed Alexandra Eala 6-3, 6-0 to capture her maiden WTA singles title! 🔥 #PHKTO #PrudentialHongKong #DiscoverHongKong #WTA250 #HKCTA #HKTS #NextGenAces #GameOn #MajorSportsEventsCommittee #MSEC
— HongKong Tennis Open (@HKTennisOpen) November 8, 2026
Playing in just her seventh main draw of the season, the American is set to return to the world's top 70 after beginning the year ranked No. 221. She reached a career-high ranking of No. 52 in January 2023.
The victory was Liu's second over Eala in as many career meetings. She also defeated the Filipino in three sets in the first round in Guangzhou last year.
"It couldn't have been a better end to the year," Liu said during the on-court presentation ceremony. "I want to thank my team for sticking by me and grinding and I'm so happy with the way that we've ended this year. It's been super tough and I'm just so looking forward to next year."
Eala, competing in her third career WTA Tour singles final, now holds a 1-2 record in championship matches.
"This season has just, it's changed my life," Eala said during her speech on court. "It's changed my life for the better. I'm incredibly proud of the work we've put in this year and we (my team and I) are the only ones who truly know what it took to arrive to this point in our journey. This is only the beginning and this one, like all of them, is ours, so congratulations."