So, it is another Chinese player that has denied Alex Eala a chance of winning gold at the 20th Asian Games.
Alex Eala's bid to improve on her bronze medal from Hangzhou in 2023 ended in disappointment as the Filipina fell to China's Wang Xiyu 6-3, 3-6, 2-6 in the women's singles semifinals on Thursday afternoon at Higashiyama Park Tennis Center.
The loss means Eala will settle for another third-place finish, matching her achievement from three years ago when the 21-year-old left-hander fell to eventual champion Zheng Qinwen 1-6, 7-6(5), 3-6, in the last four.
Unlike in her quarterfinal against Joanna Garland, Eala came out firing against Wang -- putting immediate pressure on the Chinese's serve to string together three straight games and take a 3-0 lead. The Filipina's aggressive returning continued to dictate the early exchanges, while she held serve in the fourth and fifth games to move within a game of taking the opener at 5-0.
Wang, however, finally found a way to disrupt Eala's rhythm, answering with three consecutive games of her own. She broke Eala in the seventh game and held serve in the sixth and eighth to cut the deficit to 5-3, turning what looked like a runaway opening set into a tighter contest.
Eala refused to let the momentum swing completely, though, navigating a testy ninth game to finally close out the set on her fourth opportunity and take the early advantage.
Her return game proved decisive throughout the opener, as Eala won 21 return points to Wang's 12, giving her the edge in the longer exchanges and keeping constant pressure on the Chinese's service games.
Wang settled into the second set better, with both players holding their opening three service games to keep the score close at 2-1. The Chinese world No. 85 then found the first opening, breaking Eala in the fourth game before consolidating the advantage with a hold to move ahead 4-1.
Eala struggled to regain control of her service games, and Wang capitalized again with another break in the sixth game to stretch her lead to 5-1. The Filipina mounted a late response, breaking back in the seventh game and holding serve in the eighth to pull within 5-3 and put pressure back on Wang.
But Wang stayed composed when it mattered, closing out the ninth game to level the match at one set apiece and force a deciding set.
As the third set started with both players holding serve in the first two games, the 25-year old Wang once again had the first break of the set in the third game and followed up with a hold in the fourth game to gain a 3-1 advantage. The momentum remained on the side of the Chinese with a fifth game break that made it 4-1.
But like in the second set, it was only a glimpse of Eala's fightback that was seen with a sixth game, which was quickly countered by Wang and eventually closed out the match in the eighth game at 6-2.
With this loss, it's a guaranteed gold medal for China, as Wang is set to face compatriot Zhang Shuai in the final.
