claire

Philippine’ tennis star Eala was left stunned after a 6-3, 6-0 loss to the 102-ranked American in Hong Kong.

Tennis trailblazer Alex Eala from the Philippines burst into tears as she reflected on a “life-changing” season after falling agonisingly short of a second WTA Tour title in Hong Kong.

The second seed was stunned 6-3, 6-0 by Claire Liu in the final of the Hong Kong Open as the American, ranked 102nd, won her first tour title on Sunday.

Eala is at a career-high 17 in the world after a breakout year in which the 21-year-old clinched her maiden title, in Washington, DC, in August.

That victory made her the first player from the Philippines to win a tournament on the WTA Tour.

Eala, set to rise to world number 15 next week, started the year ranked 50th.

“This season has changed my life; it’s changed my life for the better,” Eala, who finished the final with heavy strapping on her right leg, told the crowd afterwards.

Becoming emotional as she addressed her team in the stands, she said: “I’m incredibly proud of the work we’ve put in this year.

“We’re the only ones that truly know what it took to arrive to this point in our journey.

“This is only the beginning.”

Emmerdale actress Claire King, who plays icon Kim Tate on the ITV soap, has teased the fallout to Thea Ramsden’s stabbing, hinting it could lead to a shock death

An Emmerdale character faces a gruesome death next week on the ITV soap.

As DS Thea Ramsden is stabbed during a showdown with her secret mother Kim Tate, Kim actress Claire King warns that the detective might die. As a terrified Kim frets over missing Baby Tate, some Halloween horror leaves her fearing for her safety.

Things come to a head when Thea shows up at Home Farm, with Kim unaware that Thea is her long-lost daughter. As tensions rise, and Thea is accused of kidnapping Baby Tate, Kim tries to escape but is grabbed by Thea.

Kim panics, and stabs Thea leaving her injured. But will Kim’s secret daughter survive? Hinting at Thea’s fate, Claire shared: “Thea turns up, and at first Kim doesn’t think it’s Thea at all, so she tells her what’s going on—the noises, the bangs, the things like that.

“Then Kim suddenly thinks, ‘Oh my gosh, it is it’s Thea.’ So she tries to run and escape. She hides, but Thea comes through, locks the back door before she can bolt through it. So as she’s running round the table, she kind of slips, and Thea manages to grab hold of her.

“And in a panic, she’s thinking, ‘I’m going to get hurt.’ So, and she just happens to stumble across a cheese knife, sharp cheese knife, and in her panic state, she stabs Thea.”

On whether it could lead to Thea’s death, Claire teased: “The knife has gone in. She’s not bleeding out, but she does pass out, and and Kim’s in total panic mode. She doesn’t know whether she can save her or not.

“I think she’d be absolutely beside herself if she realised that Thea was her daughter at this point because she spent all this time trying to get to know her, having lost her 27 years ago, and and now she could lose her forever.”

If Thea survives, Claire reckons Kim could face big trouble. Claire said: “Thea’s been stalking Kim for a long time, so she knows that she could do her harm.

“And this is the worst-case scenario now because she thinks that, you know, Thea will actually get her back and put her in prison for this. So it’s it’s whether, it’s how Thea is going to respond to this in hospital when she gets treated.

“The police would get involved, and obviously if something happens to her, um, or if the worst-case scenario, she dies, she could end up back in prison again.” Claire also talked about the changes to villainous Kim over the years, but added she was still “ruthless”.

Claire said: “I think she is mellowing, but it’s mainly because we’ve been seeing a lot of children about and babies, and and the horses and things, and those are the things that make her soft. But underneath she’s she’s still got a a steely hard core, you know. And a very ruthless side.”

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