Alexandra Eala, seeded second at the Prudential Hong Kong Open, defeated Australian lucky loser Emerson Jones 6-4, 6-3 on Tuesday evening to advance to the second round.
Eala made a strong opening, racing to a 4-0 lead in the first set. Jones, who entered the main draw following the withdrawal of American Alycia Parks, fought back to narrow the gap to 4-3 before Eala secured the set 6-4.
The Filipino player, ranked a career-high No. 17 in the WTA PIF Rankings this week according to the WTA, continued her momentum in the second set by building a 5-1 lead. Jones recovered one of the breaks, but Eala held firm to complete the match in one hour and 23 minutes.
Eala will next face Czech teenager Tereza Valentova in the second round. Valentova advanced by defeating qualifier Himeno Sakatsume 6-3, 7-5 in a first-round match also played Tuesday.
Eala’s victory was part of a busy day of first-round action at the Hong Kong event. Top seed Sorana Cirstea rallied from an early break down in the final set to defeat Maria Timofeeva 7-6, 1-6, 7-5. Fifth seed Talia Gibson, who reached a career-high ranking of No. 36 this week, overcame a 5-3 deficit in the opening set to defeat Oleksandra Oliynykova 7-6, 6-1.
However, the day brought an upset when No. 7 seed Liudmila Samsonova suffered a first-round loss to Alexandra Shubladze. Making her WTA Tour main-draw debut, Shubladze rallied for a 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 victory. Other players advancing to the second round included Maya Joint, who won an all-Australian clash against Maddison Inglis 7-5, 6-2, and Zeynep Sonmez, who defeated Dayana Yastremska 6-4, 6-2.
Key facts
- Alexandra Eala defeated Emerson Jones 6-4, 6-3 in the first round of the Prudential Hong Kong Open
- Eala is ranked No. 17 in the WTA PIF Rankings this week, a career high
- Eala will face Czech teenager Tereza Valentova in the second round
- Top seed Sorana Cirstea advanced by defeating Maria Timofeeva 7-6, 1-6, 7-5
- No. 7 seed Liudmila Samsonova suffered an upset loss to Alexandra Shubladze 5-7, 6-1, 6-2