Alex Eala targets 2026 Asian Games tennis gold

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Alex Eala eyes a return to the Philippine national tennis team when the upcoming 20th Asian Games begins on Sept. 19, 2026, in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.

During a press conference with BPI in Makati on July 14, 2026, the 21-year-old stalwart confirmed that competing in the quadrennial meet is among her plans, vowing to build on her 2022 campaign, in which she delivered a pair of bronze medals to the PHL delegation.

In the 19th Asian Games, Eala reached the women’s singles semifinals but fell to China’s Qinwen Zheng, 1-6, 7-6, 3-6.

Her second bronze came when she partnered with PHL national team mainstay Francis Casey Alcantara in the mixed doubles event, but their run ended in the semifinals against Chinese Taipei’s Liang En-shuo and Huang Tsung-hao, 7-5, 6-3.

Despite failing to clinch a gold medal, Eala still ended the 2022 Asian Games on a high note, breaking the PHL’s 61-year medal drought in individual women’s tennis.

A lot has happened in the four-year span, as Eala transitioned from being a Grand Slam junior champion in 2022 to earning a direct ticket to the WTA main draw.

More powerful and decisive on the court, the PHL national tennis team will be reinforced by a more mature Eala, who skyrocketed from world No. 219 to world No. 28 in just four years.

However, the 2026 China Open, which is set to take place from Sept. 30 to Oct. 11, is a possible obstacle because of a scheduling conflict with the Asian Games.

Tennis will start on Sept. 27, 2026, and if Eala advances to the playoffs, the event will run until Oct. 3, 2026.

Nonetheless, Eala’s goal is still to lead the PHL national tennis team in Japan, but her commitment to the Philippine Olympic Committee has yet to be confirmed in the coming weeks.

Eala is coming off a Cinderella run at the recently concluded Wimbledon tournament, reaching the round of 16 to become the first Filipina in the Open Era to reach the fourth round of the Grand Slam tournament.

Before losing to Jasmine Paolini, Eala bagged a pair of stunning victories over Maya Joint in the round of 64 and dethroned defending champion Iga Swiatek in the round of 32.