World No. 18 Eala falls 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 to 85th-ranked Xiyu, who will face compatriot Zhang Shuai in the final.
Published On 1 Oct 2026
Alex Eala’s bid for a maiden Asian Games gold medal and Olympic qualification was ended by China’s Wang Xiyu in the semifinals.
The 85th-ranked Xiyu rallied from a set down to defeat the Filipino top seed 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 on Thursday.
Eala, the Philippines’ first WTA champion and a tour favorite, settled for her second singles bronze and third overall, having also won mixed doubles bronze at Hangzhou three years prior.
The 21-year-old forfeited ranking points and prize money at the concurrent China Open to compete in Nagoya and could face WTA fines and ranking penalties for skipping the mandatory Beijing event.
Eala expressed no regrets.
“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 after the match.
The world number 18 was poised for her first Asian Games final before her level dropped in the second set and she crumbled to a 4-1 deficit in the third.
The 85th-ranked Wang held off break points against an increasingly desperate Eala before serving out the match to love at Higashiyama Park Tennis Center.
“[Wang] was more consistent. I had a couple of ups and downs during the match which is something I have to talk to my team about and process,” said Eala.
Wang will face 37-year-old Zhang Shuai in an all-China final.
She may have her hands full against former Wimbledon and Australian Open quarterfinalist Zhang, who rolled back the years to beat Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva 6-4, 6-2.
Zhang has medalled at three previous Asian Games, taking silver in the 2018 singles in Jakarta and team gold at the 2010 Guangzhou Games.
She will be in her 40s when the next Games launch in Doha in 2030 but did not rule out competing.
“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.”
