Top seed Alex Eala could not hold on to a one-set lead as fourth seed Wang Xiyu of China rallied to eliminate her, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, in a thrilling women’s singles semifinal at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 on Thursday.
Playing under windy conditions, Eala kept her shots tight and low in the opening set to prevent the 6-foot Wang from settling into her preferred hitting range. The world No. 85 Chinese struggled to stay in the exchanges early, as Eala’s consistency allowed her to race to a 5-0 lead.
Wang finally found her footing in the sixth game and got on the scoreboard before breaking Eala for the first time to cut the deficit to 5-3. That was as close as she would get, however, as Eala responded with a service winner to close out the set in the ninth game.
(C) POC Media
Having gained confidence late in the opener, Wang began asserting herself in the rallies in the second set. She broke Eala twice to build a 5-1 advantage, but the Filipina refused to give up the set without a fight. She won the next two games to trim the gap to 5-3.
Wang, however, held serve in the following game to level the match at one set apiece at the Higashiyama Park Tennis Center.
Eala had no answers for Wang’s blistering power shots in the decider, with the Chinese fourth seed keeping the Filipina on the back foot throughout the set.
After the two players stood level at 1-1, Wang took five of the next six games to end the Philippines’ last hope of winning the women’s singles gold and set up an all-Chinese final against second seed Zhang Shuai.
Reflecting on the loss, Eala acknowledged that she will need time to process the result.
“I think a lot of tough moments for me. I think I should have played a lot better and have to sit and think about it,” Eala said.
Despite the disappointing finish, Eala said she was grateful for the opportunity to compete at the Asian Games and credited the support she received throughout the tournament.
“It meant a lot to me to be here and to compete. At the end of the day, I gave my all, I prepped the best I could prep, I fought the best I could fight. So, yeah, you know, happy that I was able to have this experience.”
Eala admitted she still needs time to process her Asian Games campaign, but she already knows what comes next.
“I need time to process it and think about it, like you said,” she said.
The Filipina will now head to China to continue her professional campaign.
“I’m going to Wuhan and continue the tour,” Eala said.
Eala had also exited the women’s doubles tournament alongside her partner, Shaira Rivera, yesterday.
