Alex Eala runs out of gas, wraps up China tilt with a quarterfinal finish

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Alex Eala’s WTA 125 Suzhou Open campaign ended with a 2–6, 6–2, 6–7 quarterfinal loss to Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic on Oct. 3, 2025, at the Sungent International Tennis Center in China.

Fresh off a three-hour slugfest against Greet Minnen of Belgium, the Filipina tennis star couldn’t sustain her momentum and was undone by a string of unforced errors throughout another grueling marathon match.

A third-straight three-set match took a toll on Eala’s rhythm, and she was visibly gassed when the deciding tiebreaker kicked off in the third and final set.

For the first time in Suzhou, Eala failed to score a single point in the tiebreaker, highlighted by a series of errors that Golubic capitalized on to race to a comfortable 4–0 lead.

Eala had the chance to draw first blood after firing a forehand deep to Golubic’s wide side, but the line judge called it out, helping the Swiss build an even bigger cushion.

The Filipino fans who flocked to the Sungent International Tennis Center tried to perk Eala up with cheers during every break, but a drop shot to the right side scored by the composed Swiss silenced her kababayans.

An anticlimactic ending concluded the match after Eala fired a slow, sloppy first-ball return, resulting in a down-the-line forehand winner from Golubic.

It was a dominant start for Eala after taking the first set with a 6–2 victory, but Golubic answered back to level the quarterfinal showdown at 1–1.

What was a one-sided showing in the third set shifted into a thrilling contest after Eala came back from a 3–5 deficit, breaking Golubic twice to turn the tide and steal the momentum.

Eala only needed a point to secure the victory after zooming to a 40–15 lead, but the resilient Swiss gave her a dose of her own medicine to force a deuce and the deciding tiebreaker.

Surprisingly, Eala slowed down in the most crucial stretch of the third, conceding seven consecutive tiebreaker points that ended her WTA run in a disappointing turnaround of events.

The 20-year-old Filipina finished her Suzhou Open run with 92 total points won, including six break points and 41 on the return.