Eala settles for bronze in 2026 Asian Games

Alex Eala ended her 2026 Asian Games campaign with a bronze medal after falling to China’s Wang Xiyu, 6-3, 3-6, 2-6, in the women’s singles semifinals Thursday in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.

The Filipina tennis star took the opening set but could not sustain her momentum as Wang rallied in the second and controlled the deciding set to book a place in the gold-medal match.

Eala had already secured at least a bronze medal after defeating Chinese Taipei’s Joanna Garland, 7-5, 6-0, in the quarterfinals.

The 21-year-old entered the tournament as the top seed and world No. 18. She opened her singles campaign with a dominant 6-1, 6-0 victory over Thailand’s Patcharin Cheapchandej before advancing through the draw.

The bronze adds to Eala’s Asian Games medal haul after she won bronze medals in women’s singles and mixed doubles at the 2022 Hangzhou Games.

Her 2026 campaign also included women’s doubles action with Shaira Rivera, but the Filipino pair bowed out to China’s Jiang Xinyu and Yang Zhaoxuan.