MANILA – Alexandra Eala’s bid for Asian Games gold and outright 2028 Olympic slot came to an end on Thursday as she fell to China’s Wang Xiyu, 6-3, 3-6, 2-6, in the women’s singles semifinals in Nagoya, Japan.
Eala, who entered the tournament as one of the favorites for the title, will instead take home a bronze medal after being unable to sustain her strong start against the Chinese left-hander.
The Filipina appeared headed for a comfortable opening set after racing to a 5-0 lead. However, Wang fought back and made Eala work to close out the frame before the Philippine No. 1 eventually secured it, 6-3.
Wang carried the momentum into the second set, breaking Eala’s rhythm and forcing a deciding third set after taking the frame, 6-3.
Eala struggled to regain control in the decider as Wang continued to apply pressure from the baseline. The Chinese player pulled away to claim the final set, 6-2, and book a place in the gold medal match.
The statistics reflected a tightly contested battle, although Wang finished with 98 total points won to Eala’s 88. She also converted six of 11 break-point opportunities, compared with Eala’s four of 12.
Her Asian Games campaign included a dominant 6-1, 6-0 victory over Thailand’s Patcharin Cheapchandej in the round of 16 before she defeated Chinese Taipei’s Joanna Garland, 7-5, 6-0, in the quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, Amaya Amparo Cojuangco delivered a historic performance for the Philippines after securing the silver medal in the women’s individual compound archery competition.
Cojuangco became the first Filipino archer to reach an Asian Games gold medal match, marking the country’s best-ever finish in the continental competition’s compound event.
Her silver also surpassed the Philippines’ previous best result in Asian Games compound archery, a bronze won by Paul Marton Dela Cruz in 2014.
The veteran national team member booked her place in the final with a pair of impressive victories.
Cojuangco dominated Iran’s Bita Asheghzadeh Oskouei, 146-135, in the quarterfinals, producing three perfect 30-point ends in the second, third and fifth games.
She then pulled off a thrilling 142-141 victory over South Korea’s Park Jungyoon in the semifinals to secure her historic finals berth.
In the gold medal match, Cojuangco battled Indonesia’s Nurisa Dian Ashrifah until the final arrows before narrowly missing out on the top prize, 139-137.
The Filipina opened with a 28-point end, matching Ashrifah, and kept the contest close throughout. She produced a 29 in the third end, but Ashrifah ultimately finished two points ahead to claim the gold.
Despite the defeat, Cojuangco’s silver marked a milestone finish for Philippine archery on the Asian Games stage.
Taekwondo’s Juliana Mykhail Candelaria added a silver medal in the women’s individual poomsae event after posting an average score of 9.1300, earning 9.200 in the first poomsae and 9.060 in the second to finish second overall.
Meanwhile, Khy Progella and Sofiah Pagara saw their bid for Asiad beach volleyball gold end in the semifinals after falling to Thailand’s Taravadee Naraphonapat and Worapeerachayakorn Kongphopsarutawadee, 23-21, 21-18, at Hekinan Ryokuchi Beach Court.
The Philippine pair came close to taking the opening set after building a 19-15 advantage, but the Thai duo mounted a late rally and moved ahead, 20-19.
Progella and Pagara managed to save two set points, but Thailand eventually closed out the frame, handing the Filipinas their first dropped set of the tournament.
“Nandun na kami sa moment na kaya namin makuha yung panalo kaso kulangan lang kami sa tiwala sa pinakadulo na kaya talaga namin,” Progella said.
The Filipinas again had the advantage early in the second set, leading 14-12, before the Thais responded with six straight points to seize an 18-14 lead. Thailand maintained its momentum from there to finish the match and advance to the gold medal contest.
Progella and Pagara, however, remain in contention for a podium finish. They will face China’s Cao Shuting and Dong Jie in the bronze medal match on Friday.
In jiu-jitsu, Myron Miles Mangubat faltered in his round of 32 match in men’s -62 kilogram, Yman Xavier Baluyo also lost his men’s -69 kilogram game, Santino Luis Luzuriaga also lost his men’s -62kg game./PN
