MANILA — Alexandra “Alex” Eala launches her quest to turn her previous Asian Games bronze into gold when the Filipina tennis ace battles Thailand’s Patcharin Cheapchandej in the women’s singles Round of 16 today at the Nagoya City Higashiyama Park Tennis Center in Japan.
The world No. 18 Eala enters the match as the higher-ranked player against the 31-year-old Cheapchandej, who is ranked No. 510 in the world, as she begins her campaign in the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games following a first-round bye.
Eala also carries a 1-0 head-to-head record against the Thai, having defeated Cheapchandej, 6-3, 6-4, at the 2022 ITF Thailand 05A tournament.
Cheapchandej advanced to the Round of 16 after dispatching Pakistan’s Mahin Aftab Qureshi, 6-1, 6-1, in the opening round.
The 21-year-old Eala is seeking to surpass the bronze medal she captured at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games and contribute another gold to the Philippines’ medal haul in Aichi-Nagoya.
She enters the continental competition looking to bounce back from an early exit at the 2026 Singapore Tennis Open, where Russia’s Tatiana Prozorova rallied to beat her, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, in the second round.
Despite that setback, Eala expressed confidence in her chances heading into the Asian Games.
“I think I have as big a chance as any other person on the draw (in the Asian Games). I think once you compete and, like I said, once you’re in the draw, you have a chance so I’ll do my best,” Eala said after her Singapore campaign.
Apart from her singles gold-medal bid, Eala will see action in the women’s doubles with Shaira Hope Rivera. The Filipino tandem will open its campaign against Hong Kong’s Lai Ching Laam and Kallista Liu.
Meanwhile, Tennielle Madis has turned her attention to doubles after her singles campaign ended in the opening round with a 6-1, 6-0 loss to Japan’s seventh seed Himeno Sakatsume.
The 19-year-old Madis will team up with Stefi Marithe Aludo against Indonesia’s Anjali Kirana Junarto and Meydiana Laviola Reinnamah in the women’s doubles opening round./PN
