Philippines tennis star Alexandra Eala stormed into the Asian Games 2026 semifinals in Japan on Wednesday, cheered on by fans who had come from far and wide to see their hero in action.
The world number 18 and favourite for women’s singles gold had to work hard early on to beat Taiwan’s England-born Joanna Garland 7-5, 6-0 in her second outing in Nagoya.
The winner of the tournament qualifies for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
“Representing my country and playing these types of games, SEA Games, Asian Games and hopefully the Olympics, they’re very close to my heart and a big part of my dreams,” said Eala.
“I think these events are really fun, very competitive and a great experience for me,” she added.
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Eala initially struggled against world number 143 Garland, who moved to Taiwan when she was 10. Eala had her serve broken twice and managed to convert only three of 12 break points in the first set.
At one stage she had to come from 0-40 down to hold serve, letting out a loud scream to celebrate. She found her rhythm in the second set, breaking Garland in the first game before coasting to victory.
Eala was back on court shortly after, but she and women’s doubles partner Shaira Rivera lost 7-5, 6-2 to China’s Jiang Xinyu and Yang Zhaoxuan.
Eala’s next singles opponent is China’s 85th-ranked Wang Xiyu.
Published on Sep 30, 2026
