Filipina tennis star Alex Eala battled past Croatia’s Antonia Ruzic, 7-6 (7), 7-5, to secure a semifinal berth at the Hong Kong Open on Friday night, Nov. 6.

The crowd favorite and tournament’s No. 2 seed survived a grueling two-set encounter, overcoming several momentum swings to stay in contention and close out the match in straight sets.

Eala dominated early in the opening set, holding serve without dropping a point in her first three service games. However, Ruzic fought back and repeatedly put the Filipina under pressure, forcing a series of long rallies and deuce-filled games.

The world No. 81 Croatian eventually took a 5-4 lead and served for the set, but Eala refused to back down. She broke back to force a tiebreak, where she built a 4-0 advantage before holding off Ruzic's comeback to take the opening set.

The second set proved just as challenging.

Eala and Ruzic traded breaks early, with neither player able to establish a comfortable lead. Eala moved ahead 3-2, but Ruzic broke back to level the score.

Rain briefly interrupted play with Eala leading 4-3, forcing court staff to dry the surface before the match resumed.

Ruzic capitalized on the restart, breaking Eala to tie the set at 4-4 before taking a 5-4 lead.

But World No. 17 Eala responded with back-to-back games to move ahead 6-5, putting the pressure back on the Croatian.

Serving for the match, Eala raced to a 40-0 lead and earned three match points. Although Ruzic saved one, the Filipina held her nerve to seal the victory, 7-5.

The win sends Eala into the semifinals, keeping her Asian swing campaign alive as she continues her impressive run in Hong Kong.