MANILA, Philippines — Alex Eala has received a first-round bye as the top seed in the women’s singles tennis event of the 2026 Asian Games in Japan.
 |
| Photo courtesy: AFP |
The Philippine Tennis Association (Philta) said the Asian Games tennis draws have been released ahead of the competition, which begins Sunday, September 27, at the Nagoya City Higashiyama Park Tennis Center in Aichi Prefecture.
Eala, the highest-ranked player in the singles draw, will begin her campaign in the second round against the winner of the opening-round match between Thailand’s Patcharin Cheapchandej and Pakistan’s Mahin Aftab Qureshi.
The Filipina tennis ace leads the top half of the draw alongside fourth seed Xiyu Wang of China, sixth seed Moyuka Uchijima of Japan and eighth seed Joanna Garland of Chinese Taipei.
China’s Zhang Shuai, ranked No. 55 in the world, is the second seed and also received a first-round bye in the tournament.
Meanwhile, fellow Filipina Tennielle Madis will open her singles campaign against Japan’s seventh seed Himeno Sakatsume in the bottom half of the draw.
In women’s doubles, Eala will team up with Shaira Hope Rivera against Hong Kong’s Lai Ching Laam and Kallista Liu, while Madis and Stefie Marithe Aludo will face Indonesia’s Anjali Kirana Junarto and Meydiana Laviola Reinnamah.
Rivera will also compete in mixed doubles with Philippine national team stalwart Francis Casey Alcantara, with the pair set to face Iran’s Kasra Rahmani and Meshkatolzahra Safi.
Eala is set to arrive in Japan after competing at the Singapore Tennis Open, where she suffered a first-round defeat to Tatiana Prozorova.
The Asian Games tennis tournament runs from September 27 to October 3, while the 20th Asian Games will continue through October 4.
— The Summit Express
Start the conversation. Share your thoughts, insights, or reactions, and connect with fellow readers.