Everything Alex Eala said in her on-court interview after reaching Hong Kong semi-final following rain delay

Alex Eala had to overcome a rain delay to reach the semi-finals of the Hong Kong Open for the first time.

Eala is hoping to finish the best season of her career so far on a high at the Hong Kong Open, which is the final tournament of her year.

The Filipina certainly did not have it all her own way against Croatian Antonia Ruzic, as Eala had her serve broken five times in the match but was ultimately able to beat her opponent 7-6(7), 7-5.

There was also a rain delay during the latter stages of the second set, and Eala reflected on the match in her on-court interview after beating Ruzic.

Alex Eala comes through ‘rollercoaster’ match to reach Hong Kong semi-finals

“It was a rollercoaster for sure and it was an incredible battle, 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,” Eala said in her on-court interview when asked about her win over Ruzic.

With Eala having her serve broken five times and the disruption to the match due to rain, there were undoubtedly some frustrating moments for the 21-year-old, who explained how she managed to overcome them.

“Yeah, I mean you know when you are on court there is kind of not much else you can think about except how to play, right?” answered Eala. “Yeah, I think more than staying focussed it was choosing to push through and giving everything that I have.”

Eala now has just one day ahead of the semi-finals at the Hong Kong Open, and she has admitted that there are some things she would like to change, despite not revealing what those changes are.

“A few adjustments to be made, but that is to be decided in the next couple of hours, so now just some rest,” Eala said, as she concluded her interview.

Eala is now the top-ranked player remaining in the draw of the WTA 250 tournament in Hong Kong, following the surprise exit of top seed Sorana Cirstea, who was beaten by qualifier Alexandra Shubladze in her quarter-final match.

Despite this, Eala still faces a tricky semi-final opponent in former world number three Maria Sakkari, who she has never played before. Eala will play Sakkari for a place in the final of the Hong Kong Open on Saturday, November 7.