Alex Eala kept her golden campaign alive while securing at least a bronze medal, beating Chinese Taipei’s Joanna Garland 7-5, 6-0 in the women’s singles quarterfinals of the 2026 Asian Games on Wednesday.
The first set was a grind. Garland, the eighth seed and world No. 143, put Eala under pressure early, trading breaks with the Filipino as neither player established sustained control. The set stretched past an hour before Eala broke Garland and then held serve to close it out.
The second set was a different story. Eala raced to a 2-0 lead, broke again, then broke to love for 3-0. Garland never won a game. Eala answered every threat with service winners and an ace, and closed on her second match point after Garland sent a shot wide.
The world No. 18 and top seed had opened her campaign with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Thailand’s Patcharin Cheapchandej. She also withdrew from the China Open in Beijing, a mandatory WTA 1000 event, to play in Nagoya, a decision she said she did not take lightly. Wednesday’s result suggests it was worth it.
LEXGO TO THE SEMIS! 🔥🇵ðŸ‡
Filipina tennis ace Alex Eala powers past Chinese Taipei’s Joanne Garland, 7-5, 6-0, to book her spot in the women’s singles semifinals at the 20th Asian Games! | 🎥 POC Media
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Eala now moves into the semifinals with a bronze medal already in hand and will face Wang Xiyu from China in SemiFinals.