Eala settles for Asiad bronze – again

MANILA, Philippines —  On a scorching Thursday afternoon in Japan, a shot at a shining double glory turned into a mere repeat bronze for the nation’s tennis pride.

Alex Eala, inches away from a rare opportunity to smash for gold and an outright ticket to the 2028 LA Olympics, stumbled when it mattered most against lower-ranked Chinese foe Xiyu Wang, 6-3, 3-6, 2-6, to settle for the women’s singles bronze in the 20th Asian Games.

When the dust settled, the pro-Filipino crowd at the center court of the Higashiyama Park Tennis Center in Nagoya that was expecting their idol to cruise to the final were left stunned.

Eala’s supporters were initially rocking after Eala went on a blazing 5-0 start only to get silenced by the calm, cool nerves of Wang, way lower in the world rankings at No. 85 but undeterred in springing a massive upset.

Determined was Eala, world No. 18 and Asiad No. 1 seed, but her usual potent resiliency and fortitude was shredded into pieces by the never-say-die and fourth-seeded Wang, a former juniors world No. 1 who has yet to break through in the pro circuit.

Not even Eala’s fiery opener mattered to the Chinese ace.

After forcing a rubber with a 6-3 second-set revenge marked by a 5-1 start, Wang, with momentum on her side, came through with two crucial break points to seize a commanding 4-1 lead.

Not even Eala’s own break to make it a more manageable 4-2 could stop the 25-year-old Chinese from serving out to strike at match point.

 And like the story of the one-sided decider, Wang saved her best for last by scoring a love game in the eighth for another breakpoint that served as a dagger deep to Eala’s heart.

Wang, whose career-best WTA ranking was at No. 49, finished the marathon in two hours and 34 minutes as Eala’s forehand return went right field and out of bounds – along with her chance for Asiad glory and Olympic qualification.

Game over. A nation silenced. Heart crushed. And a twin shot at a gold in Japan and LA ticket foiled.

“I think there’s a lot of good points and tough moments for me but in the end, she played better,” said Eala, admitting she needs time to process the heartbreaking loss, as Wang forged an all-Chinese finale against the No. 2 Shuai Zhang, a 6-4, 6-2 winner over No. 3 Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan.

“Thank you so much (to all the Filipinos who supported me in the Asiad). It meant a lot to me to be here and compete. At the end of the day, I gave it my all, I prepared to the best I could prepare, I fought to the best I could fight so yeah, I’m happy that I was able to have this experience.”