Alex Eala Takes Bronze at the Asian Games After a Tight Semifinal in Nagoya
Alex Eala finished the 2026 Asian Games with a bronze medal in women’s singles. China’s Wang Xiyu beat her in Thursday’s semifinal at the Higashiyama Park Tennis Center in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. Eala won the first set 6-3 and lost the next two, 3-6 and 2-6.
Top seed, clean start
Eala was the top seed and ranked No. 18 in the world. She got a first-round bye, then beat Thailand’s Patcharin Cheapchandej 6-1, 6-0 and Chinese Taipei’s Joanna Garland 7-5, 6-0. The Garland win in the quarterfinals guaranteed her a medal.
Against Wang, she jumped to 5-0 in the first set. Wang took the next three games. Eala still closed it out.
Wang turns it around
Wang is ranked No. 85 and has been as high as No. 49. The two had never played each other. Wang reached the round of 16 at this year’s French Open and won the Guangzhou Open in 2023.
She went up 5-1 in the second set. Eala won two games in a row before Wang finished it. In the third, Wang led 4-1. Eala broke her in the sixth game, but Wang took the next two to end the match. She will face compatriot Zhang Shuai in the final.
Why she was there
Eala skipped the China Open, a mandatory WTA 1000 event, to play in Nagoya. That put ranking points and a possible fine at risk. She called it a difficult decision and said playing for her country is very close to her heart and a big part of her dreams. Asked whether she regretted coming, she said no.
Third Asian Games medal
This is her third Asian Games medal. At the Hangzhou Games three years ago she won bronze in singles and in mixed doubles. Gold this time would have made her the first Filipino tennis champion at the Asian Games since Johnny Jose won the men’s singles in 1962. It could also have earned her an ITF qualification place for the LA 2028 Olympics, subject to eligibility requirements, and she leaves Japan without one. She is 21 and has said she hopes to play in the Olympics one day.
