Alex Eala holds first practice in Nagoya ahead of Asiad campaign

NAGOYA – Filipina tennis ace Alex Eala practiced for the first time on Sunday since arriving in Nagoya, Japan for the 20th Asian Games.  

Eala was greeted by her teammates Shaira Rivera, Tenny Madis and Stefi Aludo upon her arrival at the Higashiyama Koen Tennis Center in the afternoon. 

The WTA No. 18 started with a short warm-up before beginning her training session that lasted for over 30 minutes in the indoor courts due to the inclement weather. 

Eala practiced her forehand and backhand hits with hitting partners Madis and Aludo, while also working on her service with coach Sandro Viaene. 

As the top-seed, Eala earned a first round bye in the women’s singles event. She will face Thailand’s Patcharin Cheapchandej, who is ranked 510th in the world, in the round-of-16. 

Eala had previously defeated the 31-year-old Thai player 6-3, 6-4 at the 2022 ITF Thailand 05A event.

Cheapchandej advanced to the second round following a dominant 6-1, 6-1 victory over Pakistan’s Mahin Aftab Qureshi.

“I think I have as big a chance as any other person on the draw (in the Asian Games). I think once you compete and, like I said, once you’re in the draw, you have a chance so I’ll do my best,” Eala said after her loss in the Singapore Open.

The Filipina tennis ace will also compete in women’s doubles with Rivera, where they will first take on Hong Kong’s Ching Laam Lai and Kallista Liu. 

In the 2022 Asian Games, Eala took home two bronze medals in the women’s singles and mixed doubles events. 

In other singles action, 19-year-old Filipina Tennielle Madis exited early after a 1-6, 0-6 defeat to seventh seed Himeno Sakatsume of host nation Japan. 

Madis now shifts her focus to doubles, pairing with Stefi Marithe Aludo to face Indonesia’s Anjali Kirana Junarto and Meydiana Laviola Reinnamah in their opening round.