Alex Eala loses to Lulu Sun in Jingshan Open semifinals

FILE–Alexandra Eala of the Philippines.. Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images/AFP

Top-seeded Alex Eala squandered a strong start as Lulu Sun of New Zealand rallied for a 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory in the semifinals of the Jingshan Tennis Open on Saturday.

Sun, seeded third, raced to a 4-0 lead in the deciding set and held off Eala to book her place in the final of the WTA 125 tournament in China.

LIVE: Alex Eala vs Lulu Sun – 2025 Jingshan Open semifinals

Eala scored two break points in the third set to close within 5-2, but Sun broke back to wrap up the match in two hours, 13 minutes.

The loss marked back-to-back exits for the Filipino tennis ace since her Guadalajara 125 Open title win on Sept. 7. She bowed out in the quarterfinals of the Sao Paulo Open earlier this month before resuming her campaign in Asia.

Match stats for the match between Alex Eala and Lulu Sun. –WTA

Eala, currently ranked No. 58 in the WTA, came out strong in the opening set, firing off three straight games for a commanding 5-2 lead before sealing it, 6-3.

READ: Alex Eala battles Lulu Sun for Jingshan Open finals slot

Sun regained control in the second, building a 4-2 advantage. Eala fought back to tie it at 4-all, but the world No. 146 strung together back-to-back games to force a decider.

The former Wimbledon quarterfinalist dominated from there, leaving Eala frustrated as she powered into the final against Ma Yexin of China.

Before her exit, Eala had a dominant campaign in the Jingshan Open and reached the semifinals without dropping a set.

Eala is listed to compete as the fourth seed in the upcoming Suzhou WTA 125, which begins Monday.