Alex Eala bows out of 2026 Pan Pacific Open after falling to Diana Shnaider
Alex Eala has ended her 2026 Pan Pacific Open campaign after losing to Russia's Diana Shnaider in the quarterfinals.
During the quarterfinals on Oct. 30 at Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo, Eala started strong, winning the first set 6-2 after breaking Shnaider's serve twice.
Shnaider bounced back in the second set, with both players holding serve through the first 12 games. Eala tied the score at 5-5, but Shnaider won the tiebreak, 7-6(5), to force a third set.
The Pinay tennis ace, currently world No. 19, started the third set by winning her service game, but Shnaider tied the score at 1-1. The Russian then broke Eala’s serve and won two more games to take a 3-1 lead. Eala fought back to make it 3-2 before taking a medical timeout to have her right ankle checked.
After returning to the court, Eala won her service game to make it 4-3, then won another game to cut Shnaider’s lead to 5-4. However, Shnaider won her final service game to take the deciding set with a 6-4 score.
Following the match, Shnaider said that she didn't believe she would win because Eala played "insane."
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The two previously met in the round of 16 at the 2026 Ningbo Open, where the Russian won.
Shnaider will face Slovakia's Mia Pohankova, who defeated Naomi Osaka, in the semifinals on Oct. 31.
Eala will next compete at the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open, scheduled for Nov. 2 to 8. The match schedule has yet to be announced.
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