Alexandra Eala speaks for the first time after losing dramatic match in Tokyo, ‘I had my chances’

Alexandra Eala was locked in a hugely enthralling battle earlier today, but sadly came unstuck in the third set as she lost to Diana Shnaider.

It sadly brought to an end her run in Tokyo, thwarted at the quarter-final stage.

The 2026 season is naturally drawing to a close, and it is assumed that the 21-year-old will have just one final tournament left in Hong Kong.

However, it was clear that after this loss, she was quite shaken up.

Shnaider had huge praise for Eala when speaking on court, and the Filipina sensation returned the favour in her press conference.

She looked visibly emotional when speaking though, delivering her assessment on a hugely entertaining match.

Alex Eala gives emotional press conference after losing to Diana Shnaider

“Yeah, it was a huge battle,” Alexandra Eala began, before discussing her opponent.

She continued, on Shnaider: “I mean, it’s tricky to play Diana. Lefty is, I’m gonna say it again, like I said it last time, it’s a characteristic of a player. And it depends on each player whether they see it as an advantage or not, but it’s tricky to play Diana because she’s a great fighter and she’s a great player.

“So there are definitely things I could do better, for sure. But I’m really proud of how I played and I will maybe get back to you after I’ve talked to my team.”

Eala added: “I think both of us could take the match to a really, really high level.

“So I’m proud of that despite the loss, but I do think, yeah, I had my chances, and next time, hopefully, I’ll do better in those moments, yeah.”

It’s true that the 21-year-old could have emerged victorious, with the second-set tiebreak a particularly crucial moment that altered the trajectory of the match.

Eala concluded by briefly discussing her fans in Tokyo, who once again supported her passionately:

“Of course, you know, to be in front of the crowd and to play, but this atmosphere is always super, super special, but I love Japan as a whole, whether I’m here for tennis or not, so I really had fun.”

The stats behind Alex Eala’s incredible match vs Diana Shnaider

If you weren’t able to watch Eala’s match against Shnaider, just a brief glimpse at the statistics should be enough to outline exactly how entertaining it was.

In all honesty, it was a game laden with quality, with both players competing at their absolute best.

The victor, Shnaider, ended up with 43 winners to Eala’s 45, but narrowly edged the unforced error count, managing only 27.

Neither competitor held back, and the fact that it was far from faultless actually added to the intrigue. They were throwing everything they had at one another, and in the end finished with 116 points apiece.

For Eala fans, it will be refreshing to see the fact that she won 68% of points behind her first serve, and a further 53% behind her second. Interestingly, this mirrored the exact serving statistics of Shnaider as well.

There was very little between them, and truly, either player could have deservedly won. Tennis is a cruel sport, but this is the kind of match fans live for.