Alex Eala said she is healthy after wearing tape on her right knee during her opening-round win at the Hong Kong Open. The second seed beat Australian teenager Emerson Jones 6-4, 6-3 on Tuesday to reach the last 16.
Eala surged to a 4-0 lead in the first set, but Jones fought back to make the opener more competitive. The Filipino left-hander eventually secured the win and will face world No. 84 Tereza Valentova on Thursday.
Asked about the knee tape, Eala said she was feeling good and described it as nothing out of the ordinary at the end of a long season. She also said she was healthy.
The tape drew attention after Eala took a medical timeout for treatment on her right ankle during her loss to Diana Shnaider at the Pan Pacific Open last week.
Eala had been scheduled to play Alycia Parks in Hong Kong, but the American withdrew with an injury, allowing lucky loser Jones to enter the draw. Eala praised Jones after their match, calling her a strong player and saying she looked forward to playing her again.
The Hong Kong Open is Eala’s final WTA Tour event of the 2026 season. A title this week could lift her to a career-high ranking of 15, while world No. 15 Sorana Cirstea and world No. 18 Leylah Fernandez are also in the field.
Sources: Tennis365.