Lessons learned: Eala drives forward after Tokyo loss

Alex Eala is shifting her focus to the Hong Kong Tennis Open after falling short of a semifinal berth in the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo.

The 21-year-old Filipina bowed to world No. 13 Diana Shnaider of Russia, 6-2, 6-7, 4-6, in a hard-fought quarterfinal match last Friday.

Eala rued her missed opportunities but took pride in the level of tennis she displayed against the Russian, who rallied from a set down to secure the victory.

“Yeah, it was a huge battle. I think both of us were able to take the match to a really high level, so I’m proud of that despite the loss,” Eala said.

“I do think I had my chances, and hopefully next time I can do better in those moments.”

Despite the defeat, Eala said she enjoyed playing before the Japanese crowd, expressing her fondness for the country and the atmosphere at the tournament.

“Of course, playing in front of this crowd and in this atmosphere is always super special. I love Japan as a whole, whether I’m here for tennis or not, so I really had fun,” Eala said.

Eala now turns her attention to the Hong Kong Tennis Open, which begins on Monday, where she hopes to carry her motivation from the Tokyo campaign into another tournament.

Eala will be entering the WTA 250-level tournament full of confidence as she will be back at her career-best rank of No. 18.

She is also able to string together victories from Tokyo after following her early exits in the Singapore Tennis Open and Wuhan Open.

The Filipina said she would put off reflecting on her Tokyo campaign until after her next tournament.

Eala is expected to be seeded second for Hong Kong as the likes of world No. 16 Sorana Cirstea of Romania and Filipino-Canadian netter and world No. 23 Leylah Fernandez are also expected to join as well.

“I’m super excited, and I’m going in with high motivation,” Eala said.

“I’m trying to put my reflections off for one more week because of said motivation. Check back in a week.”