Alexandra Eala’s 2025 season concluded at the Hong Kong Open following a round of 16 loss. The Filipino star faced Canada’s Victoria Mboko, the tournament’s third seed, in what turned out to be her final match of the year. After exiting the competition, Eala shared her thoughts at the post-match press conference, discussing her career-defining 2025 campaign and her plans moving forward.
Alexandra Eala’s Words on Her 2025 Season After Hong Kong Exit
Eala dominated the opening set of the round of 16 match in Hong Kong, claiming a 6-3 victory. She controlled the match early with strong serving and solid groundstrokes. Mboko fought back in the second set, however, winning 6-3 after breaking Eala’s serve at key moments.
The third set told a dramatic story as Eala led 4-1 and appeared to be on the verge of victory. Mboko, however, refused to quit. She reeled off five straight games to win 6-4, sealing the match in two hours and 27 minutes. The comeback by Mboko was stunning; her ninth double fault came late in the match, but her service held up when it mattered most.
She converted five break points overall, with crucial ones coming when Eala was close to finishing the match. The Canadian is now set to face Anna Kalinskaya in the quarterfinals on Friday.
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During the press conference, Eala addressed her thoughts on not winning for the crowd. “Of course, I would have loved to win, you know, for the people who came to me but if I go out and I compete on court, it’s for myself. It’s for my team. It’s for all the work that we put in.”
The support from Filipino fans was clearly meaningful to her. “It’s a privilege to have the support of the Filipino people and the fans in general,” Eala stated. She explained, though, that their support is just one part of her motivation. “There’s so many other factors that make up my love for tennis.” She expressed gratitude toward everyone who supported her performance.
Eala talks about her fire to win the Round of 16 Hong Kong Open match which serves as her last of her WTA 2025 season.
But she also reveals that playing in the SEA Games is in her schedule 👏 pic.twitter.com/uNs8rjuiuC
— Dyan Castillejo (@DYANCASTILLEJO) October 30, 2025
She also revealed her original goal during the press conference, saying, “The target I had to end the year was top 100, and that was kind of like pushing it for me, and we passed that by a milestone. So, I’m so happy.” By October 27, Eala had climbed to World No. 51, her career-high ranking.
Eala’s Breakthrough Season and World Ranking Jump
Eala entered 2025 ranked 140th in the world. At the Miami Open in March, she received a wild card and capitalized on the opportunity, beating three Grand Slam winners – Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys, and Iga Świątek – to reach the semifinals. That run got her into the top 100 for the first time for any Filipino player.
The highlights kept coming as she became the first Filipino to win a Grand Slam singles match in the main draw, defeating Clara Tauson at the US Open. In Guadalajara, she won her first WTA 125 title, making her the first Filipino to win a WTA title of any kind.
Heading into 2026, Eala showed confidence in her team for planning things for her. She talked about giving her 100% while also expressing interest in returning to Hong Kong.
