It was predicted to be Alex Eala’s first real test in the Asiad.
The Filipina tennis ace found herself pushed to the limit, at least in the first set, but still found a way to prevail.
The top-seeded Eala upended eighth seed Joanna Garland of Chinese Taipei in a gripping two-set battle, 7-5, 6-0, in the women’s singles quarterfinals to guarantee herself a bronze medal in the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 at the Higashiyama Park Tennis Center, Wednesday.
The world No. 18 Eala shrugged off any concerns about fatigue following her late doubles match the night before, where she and Shaira Rivera posted an opening-round victory.
Against world No. 143 Garland, Eala drew first blood by breaking the British-Taiwanese player in the very first game. Garland responded with a break of her own to level the match at 1-1, setting the tone for the rest of the opening set.
Very little separated the two after 10 games, with the score tied at 5-5.
The 21-year-old Eala, however, showed her pedigree when it mattered most, breaking Garland in the 11th game before holding serve in the 12th to take the opening set.
Eala’s confidence soared in the second set, while the 25-year-old Garland began to fade.
The Filipina star completed the bagel to wrap up the match in one hour and 49 minutes, matching her bronze-medal finish at the Hangzhou Asian Games, where she won her first Asiad medal as an 18-year-old.
Eala will have a chance to advance to the final and assure herself of at least a silver medal when she faces fourth seed and world No. 85 Wang Xiyu of China in the semifinals on Thursday.
In women’s doubles, the teenage pair of Tennielle Madis and Stefi Aludo were eliminated in the second round after falling to fifth seeds Chan Hao-Ching and Wu Fang Hsien of Chinese Taipei, 6-3, 6-1.
