Eala blasts into Asiad semis

MANILA, Philippines — It’s still the same world-class Alex Eala against the rest of the pack in the Asian Games – rain or shine, come hell or high water.

Finally playing on center court as the sun  smiled down on Nagoya, Eala smothered Chinese Taipei’s Joanna Garland, 7-5, 6-0, to book her ticket to the women’s singles semifinals before delighted, flag-waving supporters at the Higashiyama Park Tennis Center.

Eala, world No. 18 and Asiad No. 1 seed, faced serious threat early from the WTA No. 143 Garland, who initially got the better of the exchanges and took a 5-4 lead, putting the Pinoy crowd on pins and needles.

But no worries, this is the 21-year-old star who thrives on pressure situations – on the grandest stages, against the best players in all of women’s tennis.

Eala’s got this.

With an unstoppable charge in the next nine games, the lefty ace brought order in the quarterfinal match and secured the straight-set win that sealed her entry to the Final 4 for the second straight Asiad.

It’s a sure bronze at this point but Eala didn’t come to Japan and skip the WTA Tour just for third-best.

So expect her to go even harder from here.

Up next is  Xiyu Wang of China, who advanced with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 victory over Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima.

“I think it’s understandable that everyone’s here to win. Everyone is giving their best,” said Eala,  who opened with 6-1, 6-0 verdict over Thailand’s Patcharin Cheapchandej in the second round on the covered courts.

“Being a professional and competitive tennis player, you never know what’s going to happen so you can’t let your guard down. That contributes to my pursuit of excellence and the best version of myself.”

For Eala, that pursuit is for the gold medal.

“It was a difficult decision but representing the country and playing in SEA Games, Asian Games and hopefully the Olympics, they’re very close to my heart. And it’s a big part of my dreams,” she said.

Eala’s quest in women’s doubles with Shaira Rivera, however, came to an end hours later as they bowed to No. 3 Xinyu Jiang and Zhaoxuan Yang of China, 5-7, 2-6, in Round 2 action