Filipino tennis star Alexandra Eala was eliminated in the semifinals of the Asian Games women’s singles event after a three-set loss to China’s Wang Xiyu on October 1 at the Higashiyama Park Tennis Center. The defeat ended Eala’s bid for a first Asian Games gold medal and a direct qualification spot for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Eala, currently ranked No. 18 in the world and the Philippines’ top seed, dropped the match 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 to Wang, who is ranked 85th. After taking the first set comfortably, Eala’s performance declined in the second, allowing Wang to level the match. In the deciding set, Eala fell behind 4-1 before Wang steadied to close out the contest with a service game at love.

The 21-year-old Eala, the first Filipino to win a WTA title, will settle for a bronze medal in singles — her second at the Asian Games after securing bronze in mixed doubles at Hangzhou in 2023. She has now claimed three total medals in Asian Games competition. Eala had chosen to compete at the Asian Games in Nagoya rather than participate in the concurrent China Open, a mandatory WTA event, and could face penalties from the tour, including fines and ranking point deductions.

Despite the semifinal loss, Eala expressed no regrets about her decision to represent her country. “I’m really happy to have experienced this, to experience the support … and to be with the team and, yeah, to compete for the country,” she said.

Wang Xiyu will advance to face fellow Chinese veteran Zhang Shuai in the final. Zhang, 37, defeated Kazakh No. 1 seed Yulia Putintseva 6-4, 6-2 to secure her place in the championship match. A former Wimbledon and Australian Open quarterfinalist, Zhang has a decorated Asian Games history, having earned team gold at Guangzhou 2010 and silver in singles at Jakarta 2018.

Looking ahead, Zhang, who will be in her 40s by the time of the 2030 Asian Games in Doha, has not ruled out the possibility of competing again. “I always feel like this may be my last Games. But look, aren’t I here again?” she said. “As long as you don’t give up on yourself, no one else in this world can give you that death sentence.”