The world number 19 has one more tournament left in a season that saw her become the first player from the Philippines to win a title on the women’s WTA Tour in Washington in August.<\/p>\n
Eala<\/a> will be among the favourites for the title in Hong Kong, and she said she was not in the mood to look back on her achievements yet.<\/p>\n “I’m super excited, and I’m going in with high motivation,” said the 21-year-old.<\/p>\n “I’m trying to put my reflections off for one more week because of said motivation. Check back in a week.”<\/p>\n Eala won five straight games to take control of the first set, but the second set was a far closer affair.<\/p>\n Neither player managed to break their opponent’s serve, but world number 13 Shnaider edged the tie-break.<\/p>\n Shnaider went a break up early in the third set, and Eala needed treatment on her right foot before the Russian clinched the match with an ace.<\/p>\n Eala said the match had been “a huge battle.”<\/p>\n “Both of us could take the match to a really, really high level,” she said.<\/p>\n “I’m proud of that despite the loss, but I do think I had my chances.<\/p>\n “Next time, hopefully do better in those moments,” she added.<\/p>\n Eala was again backed by a large, passionate group of Philippine fans.<\/p>\n She was playing in Japan for the second time in two months after reaching the semi-finals at the Asian Games in Nagoya.<\/p>\n “To be in front of the crowd and to play in this atmosphere is always super special,” she said.<\/p>\n “I love Japan as a whole, whether I’m here for tennis or not, so I really had fun.”<\/p>\n Shnaider will play Mia Pohankova<\/a> in the semi-finals after the 18-year-old Slovakian beat American Alycia Parks 7-6(3), 6-3.<\/a><\/p>\n Uzbekistan’s Kamilla Rakhimova<\/a> will play Canada’s Leylah Fernandez<\/a> in the other semi-final.<\/p>\n Fernandez advanced when world number one Elena Rybakina<\/a> withdrew with a neck injury.<\/p>\n![\"Eala](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/b56653ab-bb63-46df-82b5-3a06a8b3fe9b.jpg\" "\\"Eala")
Eala was outgunned by ShnaiderFlashscore<\/p>\n