Eala turns back Ruzic in rain-delayed match, books Hong Kong Open semis entry

MANILA, Philippines -- Off to the semifinals she goes. 

Filipina tennis ace Alex Eala dug deep, defeating Croatia’s Antonia Ruzic in a hard-fought, rain-delayed two-setter, 7-6(7), 7-5 in the Hong Kong Open’s quarterfinal round Friday evening. 

The match lasted two hours and 30 minutes to make the final four of the WTA 250 tournament. 

"Well, it was a rollercoaster for sure and an incredible battle," Eala said after the match.

"So, I don't know what inspired me or kept me to continue digging deeper but Antonia played a really amazing match and I'm blessed to be able to play another round here," she added. 

The two tennisters never let up in the first set, with neither gaining significant ground as they simply exchanged games. 

Ruzic gained the upper hand and moved within a game of taking the first set. But Eala kept herself alive, tying things up at 5-all before forcing the tiebreak at 6-all. 

There, Eala seemed to have found a new wind, taking a 5-0 lead. 

However, Ruzic went down swinging, winning seven of the next eight points to go up, 7-6. 

But the World No. 17 tennister from the Philippines found her rhythm anew, winning the next three games to take the tiebreak, 7-6(7), after an hour and 20 minutes. 

Come the second set, Eala showcased her mastery, pulling away from the 2-all deadlock to a 4-2 lead. 

Ruzic held her serve in the seventh game to inch closer, 3-4, and was leading 40-30 in the eighth game before play was suspended. 

Upon resumption, the Croatian pumped life back into her campaign, going up 5-4 after winning back-to-back games. 

But as she has done time and again, Eala showcased remarkable resiliency, winning the next three games to go for the win. 

The FIlipina notched 40 winners against 33 for her opponent. SHe, however, committed 47 unforced errors to Ruzic's 43. 

Eala will now take on Greece’s Maria Sakkari, who defeated Aliaksandra Sasnovich in their quarterfinal matchup. 

Sakkari, ranked 30th in the world, defeated her opponent 6-2, 6-3, earlier in the day.

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