Liu overpowers Eala for HK Open crown

Claire Liu of the United States powered to victory at the Hong Kong Tennis Open on Sunday, dismantling Philippine sensation Alexandra Eala 6-3, 6-0 for her maiden tour-level singles title. Liu, who entered the WTA 250 event ranked 102nd in the world, added the SAR trophy to a cabinet which already includes challenger-level titles she won in Paris in 2022 and in Barranquilla in September this year. The pair found themselves locked in a fierce battle at Victoria Park early on, trading blistering shots to go level at 3-3 in the opening set. After the second-seeded Eala received medical treatment on her right knee, Liu began to pull away convincingly, capitalising on costly errors from her opponent to claim the opener in 38 minutes while overcoming a strong show of support from Filipino fans in the crowd. The second set proved to be a far more straightforward affair, with Liu breaking serves and wearing out a visibly shaken-up Eala to take the title in dominant fashion. "This week in general has been really fun," Liu told reporters after her win. "But it's also been mentally really tough... last tournament of the year, it's a really big push. "I was just trying to take it one day...