Filipina tennis star Alex Eala plays China's Wang Xiyu in the semifinals of women's singles in the 2026 Asian Games, October 1, 2026 at the Higashiyama Park Tennis Center in Nagoya. POC Media
(2nd UPDATE) Filipina tennis star Alex Eala will miss out on a gold medal in the 2026 Asian Games after a shock loss to China's Wang Xiyu in the semifinals of the women's singles, Thursday afternoon at the Higashiyama Park Tennis Center in Nagoya.
Eala failed to sustain a fast start and absorbed a 6-3, 3-6, 2-6 loss to Wang, who is ranked No. 85 in the world by the WTA.
It is a disappointing result for world No. 18 Eala, who entered the Asian Games as the No. 1 seed in the women's singles and was favored to win gold — and along with it, a provisional place in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Instead, she settled for another bronze, matching her output from the Hangzhou Games in China in 2023.
"I think she played really well today," Eala said afterward. "I think she was more consistent... I think I had a couple of ups and downs during the match."
Eala appeared headed for a quick victory after taking the first five games in the opener, repeatedly finding winners with her forehand while Wang struggled to minimize her errors.
But a crucial hold in the sixth game wherein she saved three set points appeared to fire up Wang, who won the next two games to put Eala under pressure, 5-3.
Eala finally closed out the opener on her sixth set point, with Wang firing a forehand long. But momentum had shifted to the Chinese player, who surged to a stunning 5-1 lead in the second set against a seemingly out-of-sorts Eala.
The Filipina finally broke Wang in the seventh game and managed a tense hold in the eighth to stay in the match. Eala would save one set point, firing a backhand winner to force deuce, but Wang would not be denied from sending the match to a decider.
Eala held in the first game but it was all Wang from there, as she won the next four games for a 4-1 lead. Wang was broken in the sixth as Eala looked to mount a comeback, and the Filipina appeared to gain some momentum after going up 40-15 on her serve.
But a series of errors by Eala brought Wang back into the hunt, and the Chinese player fired a backhand winner for a 5-1 lead.
Wang went on to hold to love, with Eala struggling to find the mark with her forehand in the closing stretch.
Despite the defeat, Eala maintained that she had "no regrets" in playing in the Asian Games and skipping a mandatory WTA Tour event in China.
"I'm really happy to have experienced this, to experience the support, to be with the team and to compete for the country again," she said.
It will be an all-China final, after Zhang Shuai swept Kazakhstan's Yuliya Putintseva, 6-4, 6-2, in the other semifinal pairing.