Claire Liu beats Alexandra Shubladze to reach Hong Kong Open final

American Claire Liu broke serve five times to beat Russian qualifier Alexandra Shubladze 7-5, 6-4 in the semi-finals of the Hong Kong Open, a WTA 250 event, on Saturday. Liu, ranked 102nd, needed 1 hour 58 minutes to end the week of the World No. 136.

The match

Neither player could hold a lead for long in the opening set. Liu held to love in the opening game and broke for 2-0, but Shubladze broke back immediately and again to lead 3-2 before Liu levelled at 3-3. Shubladze held to love for 5-5, then dropped serve at 5-6 as Liu converted her second set point.

Both players saved two break points in their opening service games of the second set. Shubladze saved six of the 11 break points she faced, but won 21% of her second-serve points, against 50% for Liu.

Path to the semi-finals

Liu’s path to the final:

• First round: d. Tatiana Prozorova (Q) 6-2, 6-4
• Second round: d. Katie Boulter (8) 7-5, 6-4
• Quarter-final: d. Zeynep Sonmez 6-1, 6-4
• Semi-final: d. Alexandra Shubladze (Q) 7-5, 6-4

Shubladze’s path to the semi-finals:

• Qualifying: d. Ying Zhang 6-4, 6-3
• Qualifying: d. Emerson Jones 6-4, 6-2
• First round: d. Liudmila Samsonova (7) 5-7, 6-1, 6-2
• Second round: d. Elena Pridankina (LL) 6-7 (6), 6-1, 6-3
• Quarter-final: d. Sorana Cirstea (1) 6-2, 6-3
• Semi-final: lost to Claire Liu 7-5, 6-4

Final opponent

She will face fourth seed Maria Sakkari or second seed Alexandra Eala in the final. The American reached her first WTA final since Rabat in 2022, where she lost to Martina Trevisan 6-2, 6-1. The 26-year-old reached her career-high ranking of No. 53 in April 2023.

Why it matters

Liu is into her first WTA final since Rabat in 2022 and will play for her first WTA singles title at the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open. Shubladze, 21, came through qualifying and beat Russian compatriots Liudmila Samsonova and Elena Pridankina, then defeated Romania’s Sorana Cirstea 6-2, 6-3 in the quarter-finals before losing to Liu.

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Sources

• tennismajors.com: Claire Liu beats Shubladze to reach Hong Kong final - Tennis Majors
• tennistonic.com: UPDATED SF. Prediction, H2H of Claire Liu's draw vs Shubladze, Eala to win the Hong Kong - Tennis Tonic - News, Predictions, H2H, Live Scores, stats
• tennisuptodate.com: Preview Hong Kong Open Semi-Finals | Alexandra Eala's Top 15 breakthrough within reach as Maria Sakkari stands in her way

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.