Nagoya, Japan, September 29, 2026: Filipino tennis ace Alex Eala is hoping to book her ticket to the LA28 Olympic Games by winning the women’s singles title at Aichi-Nagoya on Friday, October 2.
Eala swept into the quarterfinals on Monday, September 28 by dispatching Thailand’s Patcharin Cheapchandej 6-1, 6-0 in 55 minutes in her first outing at the 20th Asian Games.
The top-seeded Filipino will now meet Joanna Garland of Chinese Taipei in the last eight on Wednesday, September 30, and has already set her sights on a gold medal victory.
“Of course I want the gold – everyone wants the gold – and I’ve worked hard. I’m here to compete like every tournament. I want to win but, you know, losses are possible, and they often happen. But I would love a gold,” the 21-year-old Eala said.
The men’s and women’s singles winners at these Asian Games will secure a quota for LA28, provided they remain in the top 500 at the cut-off date in June 2028.
Eala is presently ranked world No.18, and is the highest ranked player in the competition.
Eala entered the tournament after a disappointing loss at the Singapore Open last week, when she was beaten in the first round. However, the early exit means she would have plenty left in the tank for the week-long Asian Games tournament in Japan.
“I think I’m doing pretty good. Hopefully I’ll see how I go throughout the week,” Eala told Olympics.com.