Top seed Eala ousted in Asian Games semi-finals

In a dramatic turn of events at the Asian Games, top seed Alexandra Eala of the Philippines was ousted in the semi-finals on Thursday. The 21-year-old, who skipped the China Open to compete in Nagoya, was aiming to become the country's first female tennis champion. Eala, ranked 18th in the world, had her hopes dashed after a heartbreaking 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 defeat to China's Wang Xiyu, the world number 85.

Despite playing two matches the previous day, Eala displayed no signs of fatigue as she took an early lead in the first set. However, Wang managed to level the match in the second set before breaking Eala's serve in the third. Eala was unable to mount a comeback as Wang secured the victory, setting up an all-Chinese final against Zhang Shuai.

Eala's run in the women's singles also came to an end in the doubles competition, where she and partner Shaira Rivera were eliminated in the second round. It is worth noting that Eala achieved a significant milestone last month by becoming the first player from the Philippines to win a WTA Tour title. Her popularity in the Philippines soared following her triumph, with her matches drawing large crowds of enthusiastic fans.