Alex Eala breaks 1st-round curse in anticlimactic walkover; Boulter retires

MANILA, Philippines, October 29 ------ After three straight first-round exits in WTA singles competition, Alex Eala finally moved on to a second-round appearance as she won by default walkover against world No. 79 Katie Boulter of the United Kingdom, 6-4, 2-1, in the WTA Hong Kong Open.

Billed as the main event singles match of the night at center court in Victoria Park, Eala backed her rise to a new career-high world No. 51 rank with a tight 6-4 opener from a 4-all tie over the 29-year-old Boulter, who held a career-high world No. 23 rank in November last year.

The 20-year-old Eala remained ahead, 2-1, before the three-time WTA Tour champion Boulter called for a trainer during a medical timeout and subsequently retired, pushing the Filipina ace to the round of 16 by default. “I’m a little out of words. You know, I think this time of the year is a tough moment for a lot of players physically and mentally, being the end of the season. I hope that Katie can take this time to recover and just look back at her season proudly,” Eala said after the one-hour, 13-minute affair.

The reigning Guadalajara Open champion next faces another powerhouse in 19-year-old Canadian phenom Victoria Mboko, currently on a career-high tear to end the 2025 season at world No. 21. Eala now looks to get a proper, complete win in singles play after dropping her opening matches in the Wuhan Open qualifiers last October 4, the Japan Open last October 14, and the Guangzhou Open last October 21.

Source: rappler.com