NAGOYA, Japan — Alex Eala arrived in Japan on Saturday for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026, where the world No. 18 will lead the Philippines’ women’s tennis campaign in pursuit of a gold medal.
Eala flew from Singapore to Chubu Centrair International Airport, where Philippine Olympic Committee chief Bambol Tolentino welcomed her.
The 21-year-old earned a first-round bye as the top seed in the women’s singles event and will begin her campaign in the second round on Monday.
Eala will also compete in the women’s doubles event with Shaira Rivera.
The Filipino tennis star arrived in Japan after a disappointing Singapore Open campaign, where she reached the round of 16 before losing in three sets to unseeded Russian Tatiana Prozorova.
Eala entered the Singapore tournament as one of the favorites to win the WTA 500 title.
She will face a different field in the Asian Games after defending champion Zheng Qinwen and Indonesian player Janice Tjen opted to skip the continental event and compete at the mandatory WTA 1000 China Open in Beijing.
Tennis competitions at the Asian Games will start Sunday, with Eala scheduled to play her opening match Monday.
Eala won a bronze medal in the women’s singles event at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, after losing to Zheng in the semifinals.
