Top-seeded Eala gets first-round bye in Asian Games

MANILA, Philippines — Alex Eala will have a first round bye in the Asian Games, as the tournament’s draw has been released.

As the tournament’s top-seed, the pride of the Philippines is headed straight to the second round.

There, the World No. 18 tennister will be taking on either Thailand’s Patcharin Cheapchandej or Pakistan’s Mahin Aftab Qureshi.

Eala is anchoring op half of the bracket along with other seeds Xiyu Wang of China (No. 4), Moyuka Uchijima (No. 6) and Joanna Garland of Chinese Taipei (No. 8).

For her part, fellow Filipina Tennielle Madis is set to have a tough start to her Asian Games campaign, facing off against seventh-seeded Himeno Sakatsume of Japan.

Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan, (No. 3) Mananchaya Sawangkaew of Thailand (No. 5) and second-seeded Shuai Zhang also received a first-round bye.

In women’s doubles, Eala and partner Shaira Hope Rivera will face the duo of Lai Ching Laam and Kallista Liu of Hong Kong in the first round.

Whoever wins will take on the Chinese pair of Xinyu Jiang and Zhaoxuan Yang.

Madis and Stefi Aludo will open against Anjali Kirana Junarto and Meydiana Laviola Reinnamah of Indonesia.

In mixed doubles, the pairing of Rivera and national team stalwart Francis Casey Alcantara will go up against Kasra Rahmani and Meshkatolzahra Safi of Iran in the first round.

The Asiad’s tennis tournament will kick off on Sunday.

abtestabtest Huge turnout expected in 'Run For Your Life' race 19 hours ago Hi-Precision Diagnostics is putting health and fitness in the spotlight with the launch of Hi-Precision Diagnostics: Run For... Sports Eala vows to learn from Singapore stunner as Asiad stint beckons By Ralph Edwin Villanueva | 20 hours ago  As the Japanese proverb said, if you fall down seven times, you must stand up eight.  Sports Against Eala and her fans, Prozorova finds a way By Jan Veran | 1 day ago The 22-year-old Russian, ranked No. 180 in the world and playing before a crowd overwhelmingly behind Alex Eala, somehow turned... Sports Ramos surges into ADT joint lead in Egypt; Tabuena stays in the mix in Taiwan By Jan Veran | 16 hours ago Sean Ramos defied the odds in spectacular fashion, firing an eagle-fueled six-under 64 to storm from joint 17th into a share... Sports Ginebra, TNT change imports By Joaquin M. Henson | 1 day ago It’s been over a month since the PBA put the Governors ’Cup on hold to give way to Gilas’ participation... Sports Latest More in Sports Monton tests mettle in historic UCI road world championships stint Mbappe injured as Zidane wins on France debut, Italy lose on Mancini return As NBA eyes Rome, two rivals emerge to duel for favor Boxing mixed results: Ogayre advances, Pasuit falls abtest Besana lands on his feet, lands fifth in Asia By Nelson Beltran | 10 hours ago While the spotlight belonged to Carlos Yulo, Juancho Miguel Besana put on his own quiet show on the sidelines of a gigantic... Sports 3 Philippine pairs in beach volley quarterfinals By Nelson Beltran | 10 hours ago For the Alas Pilipinas beach volleyball, the road got a little bumpier, but the destination is still very much in sight. Sports Bisera storms back to Top 9 10 hours ago Yvon Bisera made good on her vow to fight back, closing with a solid five-under 67 to storm into the Top 10 while local ace... Sports Frayna leads Philippines to draw vs Romania By Joey Villar | 10 hours ago The Philippines rode on Woman Grandmaster Janelle Mae Frayna’s endgame brilliance as it pulled off a 2-2 draw with 23rd... Sports Chiefs get share of lead 10 hours ago From whipping boys to legitimate contenders. Sports Recommended Senate flags over 7,000 projects due to data anomalies 10 hours ago Questioning the lapsed legal mandate of acting Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon, the Senate flagged 7,107 Department of... SportsDPWHSENATE VP Sara-Robin ahead of Leni-Bam in hypothetical matchup 10 hours ago A new survey by the OCTA Research group showed that more Filipinos prefer the hypothetical tandem of Vice President Sara Duterte... SportsELECTIONSSURVEY Gatchalian: Without TRO, no stopping impeachment trial 10 hours ago Unless restrained by the Supreme Court (SC), there is no stopping the Senate from proceeding with the impeachment trial of... SportsIMPEACHMENT Mark Villar to remain with minority – Cayetano 10 hours ago Sen. Mark Villar will remain with the minority bloc despite his recent vote to alter the conviction threshold denominator... SportsSENATOR After years in detention, Mary Jane Veloso finally free after Marcos pardon 13 hours ago Mary Jane Veloso was formally released from the Correctional Institution for Women after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. granted... SportsBONGBONG MARCOSMARY JANE VELOSO next Recommended Senate flags over 7,000 projects due to data anomalies Questioning the lapsed legal mandate of acting Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon, the Senate flagged 7,107 Department of Public Works and Highways infrastructure projects worth P251 billion for data anomalies yesterday. 10 hours ago DPWH SENATE VP Sara-Robin ahead of Leni-Bam in hypothetical matchup A new survey by the OCTA Research group showed that more Filipinos prefer the hypothetical tandem of Vice President Sara Duterte and Sen. Robin Padilla, than Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo and Sen. Bam Aquino, in the upcoming 2028 national elections. 10 hours ago ELECTIONS SURVEY Gatchalian: Without TRO, no stopping impeachment trial Unless restrained by the Supreme Court (SC), there is no stopping the Senate from proceeding with the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte next week. 10 hours ago IMPEACHMENT Mark Villar to remain with minority – Cayetano Sen. Mark Villar will remain with the minority bloc despite his recent vote to alter the conviction threshold denominator in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano said yesterday. 10 hours ago SENATOR After years in detention, Mary Jane Veloso finally free after Marcos pardon Mary Jane Veloso was formally released from the Correctional Institution for Women after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. granted her an absolute pardon. 13 hours ago BONGBONG MARCOS MARY JANE VELOSO OK Are you sure you want to log out? Yes No X Login Philstar.com is one of the most vibrant, opinionated, discerning communities of readers on cyberspace. With your meaningful insights, help shape the stories that can shape the country. Sign up now!