Filipina tennis star Alex Eala and Ukrainian partner Nadiia Kichenok bowed out in the Guangzhou Open doubles semifinals, falling to the duo of Katarzyna Piter and Janice Tjen, 6–7, 6–3, 10–5, in a tightly contested match on center court.
Eala and Kichenok showed grit throughout the opening set, edging their opponents in a close tiebreaker to take the early lead. The second set, however, saw momentum shift as Piter and Tjen surged ahead 5–2 before sealing it, 6–3, to force a decider.
In the match tiebreak, Piter and Tjen tandem kept their composure, pulling away 10–5 to clinch the win and a spot in the finals.
Despite the exit, Eala’s semifinal run marked another solid doubles showing in her WTA campaign. Earlier in the tournament, she also competed in singles but suffered a Round of 32 exit against American Claire Liu, 2–6, 6–4, 4–6.