Dejected Alex Eala reacts to missing out on the gold medal at the Asian Games
Alex Eala’s singles campaign at the Asian Games came to an end at the hands of Xiyu Wang.
The Chinese star toppled Eala 6-3, 3-6, 2-6 to progress to the final of the Japanese tournament, leaving Eala to settle for another bronze medal.
Eala was the top-ranked player in the tourmament and was the heavy favourite to win an Asian Games gold medal for the first time in her career.
She opted to play the Asian Games instead of the China Open, so she made a brave and controversial decision which didn’t quite pay off for the 21-year-old.
Eala cut a dejected figure following her defeat, while she spoke to One Sports.
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Asked to summarise the match, Eala responded: “Oh, I think, yeah, a lot of lot of good points, a lot of tough moments for me. I think in the end she played better and yeah, have to sit and think about it a bit. I need time to process and think about like you said.”
She then sent a message to the fans that supported her at the tournament: “Yeah, thank you so much. It meant a lot to me to be here and to compete and and you know, at the end of the day, I gave my all.
“I prepped the best I could prep. I and I fought the best I could fight. So, um, yeah, you know, happy that I was able to have this experience.”
Eala was already looking ahead to the rest of the 2026 season and she will return to WTA Tour action imminently.
“I’m going to Wuhan and continue the tour,” said Eala, when asked about her upcoming plans.
2026 will mark Eala’s second appearance in the main draw of the Wuhan Open, after she received a wildcard into the event in the 2024 season.
The star was beaten in the first round by Katerina Siniakova in 2024, 6-3, 6-1.
Last year Eala tried to qualify for the final Masters event on the WTA Tour calendar, but she was beaten in the opening stage by Moyuka Uchijima.
This year, however, she will be seeded thanks to her ranking so she will have an excellent opportunity to pick up her very first Wuhan Open main draw victory.
Eala has earned her maiden main draw win at three Masters tournaments on the WTA Tour calendar this year, at the Dubai Tennis Championships, Indian Wells, and the Cincinnati Open.
The Wuhan Open is just one of three Masters events she is yet to pick up a main draw win at.
