Alex Eala and Shaira Rivera punched above their weight against the tournament’s third seeds but could not string together enough points to complete the upset.
The unseeded Eala and Rivera found Jiang Xinyu and Yang Zhaoxuan of China too tough to handle, falling to the No. 3 seeds in two tight sets, 7-5, 6-2, in the second round of the women’s doubles competition at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 on Wednesday.
Playing together for the first time, Eala and Rivera were picked apart early in the opening set as the veteran Chinese pair raced to a 5-2 lead.
But Eala, the world No. 127 in doubles, and Rivera, a standout of the University of West Alabama, found their rhythm and staged a furious rally to level the set at 5-5.
Jiang, ranked No. 22 in the world in doubles, and Yang, No. 75, leaned on their experience and composure to weather the Filipinas’ fightback, winning the final two games to take the opening set.
The Chinese pair regained control in the second set and built a 5-1 advantage, despite Yang experiencing some discomfort in her back that required a medical timeout.
Eala and Rivera managed to win the seventh game to cut the deficit to 5-2, but it only delayed the inevitable. Jiang and Yang closed out the match in the eighth game, eliminating the last Filipino duo from the women’s doubles competition.
Eala will return to action on Thursday in the women’s singles semifinals, where she will face fourth seed Wang Xiyu of China.
