Alex Eala advances to 2026 Asian Games semifinals

Alex Eala has secured a spot in the semifinals at the Asian Games after defeating Chinese Taipei's Joanna Garland 7-5, 6-0.

On Sept. 30, fans at the Higashiyama Park Tennis Center were kept on the edge of their seats during the first set. Eala, world no. 18, and Garland, world no. 143, answered each other's points until the Pinay edged out the Taiwanese in the final two games.

The second set told a different story. Eala dominated with six straight wins.

"No match here is easy. My match today was very tough with Joanna. She's a great player, great person," she said of her opponent.

With the latest win, she's assured of at least a bronze medal for the Philippines.

The Filipina finally got to play on Center Court after weather conditions forced her Sept. 28 quarters game against Thailand's Patcharin Cheapchandej to move to an indoor court.

Eala, who secured a first-round bye in the Nagoya games, made quick work of her Thai foe, 6-1, 6-0, in just 55 minutes.

The Pinay comes fresh off the Singapore Open, where she fell to Russia's Tatiana Prozorova in the Round of 16.

Her last appearance in the Asiad was in 2022, where she won bronzes in women's singles and mixed doubles with Francis Casey Alcantara.

In 2026, she's also competing in women's doubles with Shaira Rivera. The duo has advanced to the second round after overcoming Hong Kong's Lai Ching Laam and Liu Kallista 6-1, 6-3.