Alex Eala shares her biggest dream so far after making it to the Asian Games semifinals
Alex Eala is just two wins away from bringing a big victory to her country at the Asian Games, and she’s already shared her biggest “dream.”
On Wednesday, September 30, Alex reached the semi-finals by beating Taiwan’s Joanna Garland 7-5, 6-0. Her strong win sets up an exciting semi-final match against China’s Wang Xiyu on Thursday.
At 21 years old, Alex has already had an amazing 2026, winning her first WTA singles title at the Washington Open in August and climbing up to 17th in the world rankings. But winning a gold medal for the Philippines at the Asian Games would be her proudest moment yet.
Right after her win over Garland, Alex talked about her dream to represent the Philippines at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. “The Olympics is a dream for me, to compete there and represent my country. So, yeah, let’s see how it goes,” she said.
By making it to the semi-finals, Alex is guaranteed at least a bronze medal, but she’s aiming for gold. Winning gold would also give her an automatic spot in the 2028 Olympics.
At the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, Alex won bronze medals in singles and mixed doubles with Francis Alcantara. This time, many believe she’s the favorite to take gold.
To play at the Asian Games, Alex had to pull out of the China Open, a mandatory WTA 1000 event. Because of this, she might face a $10,000 fine for breaking the rules.
Alex said, “It’s easy to understand why players want to represent their country and play in big Olympic-style games.” Former Grand Slam winner Greg Rusedski has also defended her, asking the WTA to be reasonable and consider exceptions for rules like this.
Greg said on his podcast, “Common sense isn’t always common, but there should be exceptions. Playing the Asian Games is huge for Alex and her country. I hope the WTA won’t fine her because winning there really matters for tennis in Asia.”
Right now, Alex’s main focus is winning gold. If she succeeds, she will only be the second Filipino tennis player to compete in the Summer Olympics—funny enough, the last time was also in Los Angeles in 1984.