Alex Eala’s bid for an Asian Games women’s singles gold medal ended with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 semifinal loss to China’s Wang Xiyu, but the Filipino tennis star had a simple answer when asked whether she regretted competing.
‘No.’
‘I feel like I have no regrets,’ Eala added after settling for the bronze medal at Nagoya City Higashiyama Park Tennis Center in Japan.
Eala had given herself an opportunity to reach the final after a strong opening set against Wang.
Momentum shifted in the second.
After the set reached 1-1, Wang won four consecutive games to open a 5-1 advantage. Eala responded by taking two games in a row, but Wang closed out the set, 6-3, to force a decider.
Eala won the opening game of the third set before Wang pulled away to complete the comeback.
‘I think she was more consistent. I think I had a couple ups and downs during the match,’ Eala said. ‘It’s something I have to talk with my team about and process.’
The semifinal defeat ended a campaign in which Eala had not lost a set before facing Wang.
She opened with a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Thailand’s Patcharin Cheapchandej in the round of 16 and then defeated Chinese Taipei’s Joanna Garland, 7-5, 6-0, in the quarterfinals to guarantee herself a medal.
Garland had moved within a game of taking the first set before Eala won three consecutive games and then dominated the second.
Against Wang, Eala again made the quicker start. This time, however, her opponent found a way back.
‘I think everyone’s constantly trying to find their way around the court and what works for them,’ Eala said afterward. ‘But yeah, I think she played really well today.’
Even with the loss, Eala focused on what the Asian Games gave her beyond the result.
‘I’m really happy to have experienced this, of course, to experience the support, to be with the team and to compete for the country again,’ she said.
Eala also believes she has changed substantially as a player since her previous experiences on the international stage.
‘I think physically I’m better, more mature, more experienced, of course,’ she said. ‘So many things. I think everything all around has improved.’
That made her verdict on competing in the Asian Games unequivocal even after seeing a first-set lead disappear in the semifinals.
There was a match to review with her team and a bronze medal rather than the gold she had pursued.
There were no regrets.