Eala starts Asian Games gold mission vs Thai

MANILA, Philippines — Alex Eala will begin her quest for gold against a familiar foe in Thailand’s Patcharin Cheapchandej in Round 2 of the Achi-Nagoya Asian Games women’s tennis singles Monday at the Higashiyama Park Tennis Center in Japan.

Eala gained a first-round bye as the No. 1 seed for an extra day of practice upon landing in Japan from the WTA500 Singapore Open as Cheapchandej took care of her business in the opening round. 

The Thai ace scored a 6-1, 6-1 victory in only 53 minutes of play against Pakistan's Mahin Aftab Qureshi at Court 6 Sunday in the duel between unseeded squads. 

Another Filipina bet Tenny Madis on the same day, however, was outclassed by No. 7 seed Himeno Sakatsume of Japan, 6-1, 6-0. 

And so the nation’s only hope in the singles now falls on its strongest weapon. 

Ranked No. 18 in the world, Eala boasts all the advantages not only against the WTA No. 510 Cheapchandej but also the entire field as the highest-ranked bet with the absence of Asia’s top guns led by reigning Asian Games and Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen, World No. 1 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, as well as No. 17 and home bet Naomi Osaka.

Eala has also beaten the Thai rival in the past, scoring a 6-3, 6-4 win in the Round of 16 en route to a title conquest in the 2022 ITF W25 Chiang Rai in Thailand.

Still, the lefty stalwart is keen on not leaving a stone unturned by buckling down to work in an intense practice session with teammates Madis and Stefi Aludo yesterday just hours after arriving in Nagoya from Singapore.

Aside from the singles, Eala will also strut her stuff in the women’s doubles by partnering with Shaira Hope Rivera albeit the pair is unseeded. 

They will battle Lai Ching Laam and Kallista Liu of Hong Kong in the first round. Winner gets to face the No. 3 seed pair of Xinyu Jiang and Zhaoxuan Yang of China.

Game time and court assignment for both the women’s singles and doubles are still to be determined as heavy downpour in Japan Sunday forced organizers to either postpone or move the other matches to indoor courts. 

But Eala on the crest of her banner year that catapulted her to not only one of the world’s brightest stars in terms of following but also one of the best players in rankings is locked and loaded, regardless of who and what stands in the way. 

Eala marches into her second Asian Games stint armed with all the motivations in the world, especially for a golden chance of earning a ticket in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. 

On top of a quick rebound bid from a second-round exit in the WTA500 Singapore Open last week on a 6-4, 5-7, 3-6 stunner defeat as the No. 3 seed to No. 180 Tatiana Prozorova, Eala guns to improve on her two-bronze-medal finish in the 2023 Hangzhou Games all before her meteoric rise. 

Better, stronger and fiercer with higher ranking, more titles and experiences now, hopes are high for Eala to fulfill that mission and help Team Philippines add to its scarce medal tally so far with only two golds courtesy of gymnast Caloy Yulo.

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