Metro Manila, Philippines – Alex Eala opened her 20th Asian Games campaign with a dominating 6-1, 6-0 win over Thailand’s Patcharin Cheapchandej to advance to the quarterfinals on Monday, Sept. 28, at the Higashiyama Park Tennis Center in Japan.
The 21-year-old Eala, currently ranked No. 18 in the WTA, received a first-round bye as the top seed in the women’s singles tournament.
The match was initially scheduled for outdoors in the morning but was pushed back in the afternoon and moved to an indoor court because of continuous rains.
Eala will face Joanna Gardland of Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinals on Tuesday, Sept. 29.
She will also compete in the women’s doubles with Shaira Rivera.
Now a completely different player from the last edition of the Asian Games, Eala is aiming to surpass her double bronze finish in Hangzhou, China in 2023.
