Alex Eala did almost everything right but fell just short of victory as she and Ukraine’s Nadiia Kichenok dropped a thrilling three-setter, 7-6 (4), 3-6, 5-10, to Indonesia’s Janice Tjen and Poland’s Katarzyna Piter in the semifinals of the WTA 250 Guangzhou Open on Saturday.
The match at the Center Court of the Nansha International Tennis Center was a showcase of high-quality tennis between two in-form duos.
Eala and Kichenok had cruised through the first two rounds without dropping a set, while Tjen and Piter stunned top seeds Quinn Gleason of the United States and Elena Pridankina of Russia in a three-set quarterfinal thriller.
The first set was tightly contested, with neither team giving an inch and both holding serve for 12 games, forcing a tiebreak.
Tjen and Piter surged to a 4-1 lead, but Eala, ranked world No. 207 in doubles, and Kichenok, world No. 58, fought back, winning the next six points to claim the opener.
Eala and Kichenok looked poised to wrap up the match in straight sets after taking a 2-0 lead in the second.
However, the resilience of Piter, world No. 55, and Tjen, world No. 159, shone through as they captured the next five games and closed out the second set in the ninth game.
The stage was set for a super tiebreak. Once again, Tjen and Piter jumped to a 4-1 lead and, this time, held firm, extending their advantage to 9-3.
The Indonesian-Polish pair finished off Eala and Kichenok after one hour and forty-seven minutes, securing a spot in Sunday’s finals against Hong Kong’s Eudice Chong and Chinese Taipei’s En-Shuo Liang.
Eala will have little time to recover, as she is scheduled to compete in the WTA 250 Hong Kong Open from October 27 to November 2.
She will face a challenging women’s singles field, including world No. 13 Belinda Bencic of Switzerland, recent Japan Women’s Open champion Leylah Fernandez of Canada, 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin of the United States, and rising young talents Victoria Mboko of Canada and Maya Joint of Australia.
The Filipina will also compete in doubles, partnering with world No. 36 and former Wimbledon finalist Chan Hao-Ching of Chinese Taipei.
