Alex Eala will leave Aichi-Nagoya with a bronze medal for the second time running. China's Wang Xiyu rallied from a set down to beat the top-seeded Filipina 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 in Thursday's 2026 Asian Games semifinal.
Alexandra Eala Just Misses Gold at the 2026 Asian Games
Eala dominated the opening set, reeling off five straight games before closing out the frame. But Wang, ranked 85th in the world, found her rhythm in the second, stretching her lead to 5-1. Eala won two late games, but Wang eventually squared things at one set all.
That momentum carried into the decider. Wang broke early and sealed the match with a 6-2 third set, ending Eala's push for gold.
"I think in the end she played better," Eala said. "I fought the best I could fight."
For Eala, her Asian Games semifinal loss is history repeating itself. She hit the same wall in the same round as the 2022 Hangzhou Games, where she also medaled in mixed doubles. To compete in Aichi-Nagoya, Eala skipped a mandatory WTA 1000 event in Beijing, risking rankings spots and a $10,000 fine. That choice shows how much the gold mattered.
No Filipino has won Asian Games tennis gold since 1962. That drought now continues as Eala returns to the WTA tour at the Wuhan Open on October 12th with her second bronze.
