Paved in gold
NAGOYA—Alex Eala is already assured of another Asian Games medal. What remains is the prize she came here chasing: the women’s singles gold and the Olympic qualification path that comes with it.
Eala moved into the semifinals after beating Joanna Garland of Chinese Taipei, 7-5, 6-0, on Sept. 30, leaving the Filipino top seed two victories from the title at the 20th Asian Games.
The Olympic stakes have been part of Eala’s campaign from the start. Under the Los Angeles 2028 qualification system, the Asian Games women’s singles champion can earn an International Tennis Federation (ITF) qualification place, subject to Olympic eligibility requirements.
That Olympic opportunity helps explain why the 21-year-old Eala chose to see action in the Asian Games despite the demands—and possible consequences—of stepping away from her regular Women’s Tennis Association schedule.
Eala skipped the China Open, a mandatory 1000 event on the women’s tour (WTA), so she could represent the country here. That decision opened her to loss of ranking points and a potential fine.
“I mean, of course, it was a difficult decision, right? But, you know, representing the country and playing these types of games—SEA Games, Asian Games and hopefully the Olympics one day—they’re very close to my heart and a big part of my dreams,” Eala said.
‘Olympic event’
Under the LA28 tennis qualification system, the men’s and women’s singles champions at the 2026 Asian Games can earn ITF places in the Olympic field.
The continental route is not an unconditional Olympic ticket.
The Asian Games champion must be ranked inside the world’s Top 500 at the June 12, 2028, cutoff and must satisfy the sport’s Olympic eligibility requirements. The qualification place also depends on the athlete’s country not having already filled its maximum quota through direct acceptance.
Eala has made no secret of what LA means to her.
“You know this is an Olympic event also. It’s something I look forward to and prioritize clearly, so we’ll see,” she said.
Eala arrived here from a much different position than she occupied at the previous Asian Games.
At 18, she reached the semifinals in Hangzhou before losing a three-set battle to eventual champion Zheng Qinwen of China and settling for bronze. That medal was the Philippines’ first in Asian Games tennis since 2006.
Target on her back
Three years later, she is the tournament’s top seed.
“Circumstances have changed a lot in the past years. I’m older, a little bit more experienced,” Eala said.
The change goes well beyond age.
Eala became the first Filipina to crack the WTA Top 100 in 2025 and has logged big wins against the world’s elite. In August, she became the first Filipino to capture a WTA Tour singles championship when she won the DC Open.
Instead of arriving mainly as the young player trying to upset an established favorite, Eala is increasingly the player with the target on her back.
“I think it’s a good problem to have,” Eala said after beating Garland. “It’s kind of cool because I’ve been on both sides, on the underdog side and then more recently, I’ve been on more of the seeded side.”
“So I think each of those situations comes with its own set of adversities. Not to say that one is more difficult than the other. It’s just different types of difficulties.”
Eala also said she knows how to deal with all the buzz of expectations.
“I mean, when I’m on court, it’s me and the ball and the court,” she said.
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