Alex Eala sends heartfelt message in emotional speech after losing Hong Kong Open final
Alex Eala sent heartfelt messages to her fans and her team in an emotional speech after losing in the final at the 2026 Hong Kong Tennis Open.
The Filipina star fell 3-6, 0-6 to world No 102 Claire Liu in a one-sided championship match at the WTA 250 event in Hong Kong on Sunday.
Eala was competing in the third WTA Tour final of her career, having lost the 2025 Eastbourne Open final before securing her maiden title at the 2026 Washington Open.
World No 17 Eala — who was the second seed in Hong Kong — defeated Emerson Jones, Tereza Valentova, Antonia Ruzic and Maria Sakkari en route to the final.
The 21-year-old has now ended her 2026 season, and she will climb to a new career-high ranking of world No 15 on Monday.
Here is Eala’s full speech from the trophy ceremony after the Hong Kong Open final:
“Hi, good evening, everybody. Thank you all for being here. First and foremost, I want to congratulate Claire on an amazing tournament, a great week and a great match. Very, very well-deserved. Congratulations.
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“I’d like to thank the tournament staff and the organisers for the amazing hospitality, the physios for keeping me together. And, of course, the fans. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
“I mean, wrapping up this year, you guys do not know how much meaning you add on top of what I do, and how much of a pleasure it is to go about my life sharing these moments with you all. So I’m forever grateful.
“And, of course, last but not least, my team, my parents. My brother, Miko, my coach, Joan, and my two other coaches, Yuke and Sandro. Yeah, this season has just… It’s changed my life. It’s changed my life for the better, and… yeah, sorry (crying).
“Like, I’m really, I’m incredibly proud of the work we’ve put in this year. And we’re the only ones who truly know what it took to arrive to this point in our journey.
“So thank you so, so much. Congratulations. This is only the beginning. And this one, like all of them, is ours. So, congratulations.”
