Top-seeded Eala gets first-round bye in Asian Games
MANILA, Philippines — Alex Eala will have a first round bye in the Asian Games, as the tournament’s draw has been released.
As the tournament’s top-seed, the pride of the Philippines is headed straight to the second round.
There, the World No. 18 tennister will be taking on either Thailand’s Patcharin Cheapchandej or Pakistan’s Mahin Aftab Qureshi.
Eala is anchoring op half of the bracket along with other seeds Xiyu Wang of China (No. 4), Moyuka Uchijima (No. 6) and Joanna Garland of Chinese Taipei (No. 8).
For her part, fellow Filipina Tennielle Madis is set to have a tough start to her Asian Games campaign, facing off against seventh-seeded Himeno Sakatsume of Japan.
Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan, (No. 3) Mananchaya Sawangkaew of Thailand (No. 5) and second-seeded Shuai Zhang also received a first-round bye.
In women’s doubles, Eala and partner Shaira Hope Rivera will face the duo of Lai Ching Laam and Kallista Liu of Hong Kong in the first round.
Whoever wins will take on the Chinese pair of Xinyu Jiang and Zhaoxuan Yang.
Madis and Stefi Aludo will open against Anjali Kirana Junarto and Meydiana Laviola Reinnamah of Indonesia.
In mixed doubles, the pairing of Rivera and national team stalwart Francis Casey Alcantara will go up against Kasra Rahmani and Meshkatolzahra Safi of Iran in the first round.
The Asiad’s tennis tournament will kick off on Sunday.
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