Alex Eala's Hong Kong Open final defeat exposes worrying problem Carlos Alcaraz has warned about for years

Alex Eala's defeat to Claire Liu in the Hong Kong Open final has exposed a major problem that Carlos Alcaraz has warned about for years.

After a 90-minute battle in Hong Kong, Liu secured a 6-3, 6-0 victory over Eala on Sunday and immediately described the 21-year-old as “such an inspiration" for women's tennis and no better person to "lead the charge" for the next generation.

Eala issued a teary post-loss speech that made Liu emotional, expressing her gratitude to the tournament organisers and everyone in her camp who helped her reach incredible heights in 2026, having won her first WTA tour-level singles title at the Washington Open in August.

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Alex Eala's injury in Hong Kong Open final exposes huge scheduling problem

In the early stages of her final against the American, Eala started well and forced an early break of serve but was hampered by an injury to her right knee and received lengthy treatment as she trailed 4-3.

The 26-year-old then won the next two games to clinch the opening set. The Filipina sensation dug in after, but clearly struggled with fitness once her knee was strapped and, from there, it was one-way traffic with Liu moving through the gears to secure a straight-sets victory and the Hong Kong Open title.

Across a gruelling 2026, Eala's showdown on Sunday was her 70th of this year - more than any other player on the WTA tour - with the youngster posting 45 wins and 25 defeats.

Her uncle, Noli Eala, has regularly publicly spoken about his niece and, on this occasion, he posted a graphic on X which showed how many matches she's played, accompanied by the caption: "Does not even count the games she played at the Asian Games. Time for a well-deserved rest."

It was noted on several occasions throughout the tournament in Hong Kong that Eala looked "very tired" and needed a "rest", though she explained that experiencing fatigue on tour is actually a positive sign, as it means she is working hard, playing a lot of matches, and facing highly motivated opponents who push her to her physical and mental limits.

On the flip side, an injury in the final only exposes a huge problem that the WTA has with scheduling. Eala has been pushed beyond her means physically by playing in 24 tournaments across 2026 and, while she has reached a career-high 17th in the WTA rankings by doing so, athletes are being stretched too far both physically and mentally.

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Carlos Alcaraz has previously issued warnings about the WTA schedule

Other WTA stars have complained about the relentless schedule on tour, with Iga Swiatek calling the tennis calendar "too intense" and "crazy", criticising mandatory rules that force players to compete in over 20 tournaments a year, arguing that it harms mental health and athlete well-being.

Aryna Sabalenka, too, described the schedule as "insane" and stated her intention to skip events to prioritise her physical health and prevent injuries, in what was a clear warning to the organisers.

One of the biggest athletes in the men's game, Carlos Alcaraz, has also been vocal about the congested tennis calendar, saying in September 2024, "they are going to kill us in some way".

"Probably they are going to kill us in some way," said Alcaraz. Right now a lot of good players are going to miss a lot of tournaments because of that [injury]."

The Spaniard even admitted that he sometimes struggles to motivate himself because of the amount of tennis in his schedule.

"Sometimes, you don't want to go to a tournament," he said. "I'm not going to lie - I have felt this way a few times already.

"Sometimes I don't feel motivated at all. But as I've said many, many times, I play my best tennis when I smile and enjoy it on court. That's the best option to keep motivating (myself)."

The seven-time Grand Slam winner has continued to express his anger at the relentless schedule to this date, but the ATP have made no conscious effort to listen to these concerns.