Alexandra Eala is set to represent the Philippines at the Asian Games later this year.
The Filipina, 21 years old, will seek to add another gold medal to her collection after capturing the Southeast Asian Games title late last year.
How high do you think Alexandra Eala’s ceiling is?
The tennis event is set to be hosted for the 20th time since 1958; and for the first time in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
As a high-ranking WTA Tour player, Eala will be among the favourites for the gold medal alongside the likes of Qinwen Zheng and Shuai Zhang.
Eala has the opportunity to make history at this year’s Asian Games, despite her young age and relative inexperience as a professional player.
Alexandra Eala can qualify for the Olympics via the Asian Games
According to the World Tennis [formerly ITF] website, athletes can qualify for the Olympic Women’s Singles Tennis event via the Asian Games.
Therefore, if Eala wins gold at this year’s Asian Games, she will qualify for the Olympic Games directly.
Eala would also become the first Filipina to win the women’s tennis gold at the Asian Games.
Only one Filipina has previously reached the final of the event. That individual was Desideria Ampon, who was beaten in the 1958 final by Japan’s Sachiko Kamo.
| Asian Games | Champion | Runner-up |
| 1958 (Tokyo, Japan) | Sachiko Kamo (JPN) | Desideria Ampon (PHI) |
| 1962 (Jakarta, Indonesia) | Akiko Fukui (JPN) | Reiko Miyagi (JPN) |
| 1966 (Bangkok, Thailand) | Lany Kaligis (INA) | Kazuko Kuromatsu (JPN) |
| 1974 (Tehran, Iran) | Lita Sugiarto (INA) | Paulina Peisachov (ISR) |
| 1978 (Bangkok, Thailand) | Lee Duk-hee (KOR) | Chen Juan (CHN) |
| 1982 (New Delhi, India) | Etsuko Inoue (JPN) | Kim Soo-ok (KOR) |
| 1986 (Seoul, South Korea) | Li Xinyi (CHN) | Lee Jeong-soon (KOR) |
| 1990 (Beijing, China) | Akiko Kijimuta (JPN) | Chen Li (CHN) |
| 1994 (Hiroshima, Japan) | Kimito Date (JPN) | Naoko Sawamatsu (JPN) |
| 1998 (Bangkok, Thailand) | Yayuk Basuki (INA) | Tamarine Tanasugarn (THA) |
| 2002 (Busan, South Korea) | Iroda Tulyaganova (UZB) | Tamarine Tanasugarn (THA) |
| 2006 (Doha, Qatar) | Zheng Jie (CHN) | Sania Mirza (IND) |
| 2010 (Guangzhou, China) | Peng Shuai (CHN) | Akgul Amanmuradova (UZB) |
| 2014 (Incheon, South Korea) | Wang Qiang (CHN) | Luksika Kumkhum (THA) |
| 2018 (Jakarta-Palembang, Indonesia) | Wang Qiang (CHN) | Zhang Shuai (CHN) |
| 2022 (Hangzhou, China) | Qinwen Zheng (CHN) | Zhu Lin (CHN) |
| 2026 (Aichi-Nagoya, Japan) | – | – |
Eala would also receive a monetary reward if she were to win gold in Aichi-Nagoya.
Under the Philippine Republic Act 10699 (the National Athletes and Coaches Benefits and Incentives Act), national athletes who win gold at the Asian Games will be entitled to one million pesos.
This amount is equivalent to around £12,000 or $16,000 USD.
How did Alexandra Eala perform at the last Asian Games?
Eala, then 17 years old, was seeded fourth heading into the 2023 Asian Games Women’s Singles tennis event.
Will Alex Eala ever win a Grand Slam title?
The Filipina began her campaign emphatically, beating Pakistan’s Sarah Mahboob Khan 6-0, 6-0.
She then beat India’s Rutuja Bhosale and Japan’s Oyuka Okamura, setting up a clash with future Olympic gold medallist Qinwen Zheng.
Zheng emerged victorious from their semi-final contest, winning 6-1, 6-7, 6-3.
Zheng went on to win gold, beating compatriot Zhu Lin in the final, 6-2, 6-4.
Eala and Japan’s Haruka Kaji both received bronze medals for their efforts.
“I’m really excited and super motivated, and I’m going to give my best,” Eala said recently when discussing her upcoming participation in the 2026 Asian Games.
