Examining Alex Eala’s recent slump in Asian swing

Since winning the Guadalajara Open last September, Filipino tennis star Alex Eala has been on a slump in the midst of her Asian swing, highlighted by an upset loss to WTA-ranked No. 305 Claire Liu in the Last 32 of the Guangzhou Open on Tuesday, Oct. 21.

Before her stint in the Guangzhou Open, Eala improved to No. 53 in the WTA rankings, her highest so far, but that might change after her early exit.

Questions persist on why Eala has seemingly lost her stride after winning the first WTA title of her career. Fatigue has been one of the most talked-about factors in the Filipina’s slump, but almost every tennis player, from worst to best, has gone through schedules like Eala’s and delivered. 

Taking a closer look at her recent losses, fatigue is not the only factor, but also her ability to sustain success during matches, leading to her struggles in closing out matches.

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Alex Eala suffered an unexpected opening-round defeat at the hands of world No. 305 Claire Liu, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, which wrapped up her WTA 250 Guangzhou Open campaign on Oct. 21, 2025, in China.https://t.co/4bI25NHX0r

— Daily Guardian (@dailyguardianph) October 23, 2025

Eala, who has typically weathered her opponents’ comeback attempts in the past, failed to capitalize on a dominant 6-2 win in the first set to drop sets 2 and 3, 6-4 each.

A glaring issue was that the Filipina was the first to win four games in the last two sets, but failed to win any more. She allowed Liu to find her footing and snatch the momentum – and eventually the match – away.

In Japan, Eala faced a fellow rising star in Tereza Valentova, but the difference in skill immediately became apparent. The Filipina managed to win only three sets in the whole match. In the second set, however, Eala found a burst of energy and showed her Guadalajara-winning form by dominating Valentova in the third game to trim the lead to 3-1 in hopes of mounting a comeback. In the next games, Eala still showed fight but was simply outmatched en route to the loss.

Eala’s losses in the Wuhan Open, Suzhou Open, and Jingshan Open came in three sets, which certainly attributes to her fatigue and loss of urgency in breaking serves and closing out matches.

The tools are still there for Eala to bounce back in the Hong Kong Open at the end of this month. The 20-year-old is still adapting to the increased pressures and challenges from her recent rise in the rankings, and her next results might indicate how fast she can accelerate her game to the next level.

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