China's Wang Xiyu came from a set down to beat top seed Alex Eala 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the Asian Games women's singles semifinals on Thursday at the Higashiyama Park Tennis Center in Nagoya.
Eala, the world No. 18, takes bronze — her second straight Asiad singles bronze. Wang is ranked No. 85.
Eala raced to a 5-0 lead in the first set, and closed it 6-3 after Wang won three straight games, GMA News reports. Wang pulled away to 5-1 in the second and took it 6-3. In the decider, Wang surged to 4-1, broke for 5-2 and closed in the eighth game.
The loss ends Eala's shot at a direct ticket to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, Inquirer reports. The Philippines' last Asiad tennis gold remains Johnny Jose's in 1962.
"I think she was more consistent. I think I had a couple of ups and downs during the match," Eala told reporters, per GMA News. Asked if she had regrets, she said: "No. I feel like I have no regrets."
Wang will face compatriot Zhang Shuai in an all-China final. Zhang beat Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva 6-4, 6-2 earlier in the day.
Eala's next stop is the Wuhan Open, a WTA 1000 event that begins Oct. 12.
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