'No regrets': Eala set for Japan return after falling short in Asiad golden mission
MANILA, Philippines — Alex Eala will return to Japan for a vengeance of sorts later this month after a heartbreaking semifinal loss in the 20th Asian Games.
Plunging back to the WTA Tour, Eala’s second order of business is the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo form October 26 to November 1 after her Wuhan Open stint from October 12-28 in China.
The Tokyo joust is a 500-level WTA Tour, where Eala is in the initial entry list albeit without seeding and draw just yet.
Eala, the 21-year-old nation’s hope, absorbed a stunning exit in the Asiad semis with a 6-3, 3-6, 2-6 loss to Xiyu Wang of China to settle for a bronze medal for the second straight edition.
As the No. 1 seed and the highest-ranked WTA player at No. 18 in the continental quadrennial games, hopes were at an all-time high for Eala to win it all against a relatively weaker field in terms of world rankings and experience.
Among those out were World No. 1 and US Open champion Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, No. 17 and four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka of Japan, and No. 49 Janice Tjen of Indonesia, as well as Zheng Qinwen of China, the reigning Asiad and Olympic gold medalist.
But it was to no avail as history repeated on Eala, who also bowed to Qinwen in straight sets back in 2023 Asiad in Hangzhou that served as her national team debut when she was just on the rise outside Top 100 before a now Top-20 player in the world.
Eala, ironically, has now lost a shot at gold and an outright Olympic ticket against two Chinese foes in two straight editions as she skipped the WTA1000 China Open in Beijing to prioritize playing for flag and country in the Asiad.
"I have no regrets," beamed Eala, saying that she gave it all and fought to the best of her ability for Team Philippines.
"At the end of the day, being a professional tennis player and a competitive tennis player, losing is part of the job and losing is always a possibility. That's what makes tennis so difficult. That's what makes tennis so exciting is that you never know what's going to happen and you can't let your guard down. I think that also contributes (to) my pursuit for excellence and my pursuit for the best version of myself."
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