Eala wins Asian Games bronze after semifinal loss

Alex Eala’s bid for the Asian Games women’s singles gold medal ended Thursday when China’s Wang Xiyu beat the Philippines’ top seed in three sets, leaving Eala with bronze. Wang won the semifinal 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 and advanced to the final, while Eala missed the chance to compete for gold. Eala had secured at least bronze by reaching the semifinals. On Wednesday, she defeated Joanna Garland 7-5, 6-0 in the quarterfinals. The result was her second consecutive Asian Games women’s singles semifinal appearance; she also won bronze in singles at the 2022 Games in Hangzhou. The semifinal began with Eala taking the first set, but Wang recovered to level the match and then moved ahead in the third. Wang’s victory set up a final against fellow Chinese player Zhang Shuai, according to the tournament schedule. Eala also competed in the women’s doubles with Shaira Rivera, but the pair were eliminated in the second round, according to a post-match account. The result followed Eala’s decision to skip the China Open in Beijing to represent the Philippines at the Asian Games in Nagoya. The China Open is a WTA 1000 tournament.