MANILA, Philippines, September 29 ------ Alex Eala’s first-ever Asian Games stint continues to be a fruitful one as she and doubles partner Francis Casey Alcantara rolled through their Thai foes in the quarterfinal, 6-4, 6-4, to assure themselves of at least a bronze medal in Hangzhou, China. With the win, Eala is set to become the first player in Philippine tennis history to earn multiple medals in the same Asian Games since Cecil Mamiit in 2006, while Alcantara will also earn his first career Asiad medal.
Unlike Eala’s singles semifinal match earlier in the day, which took more than three hours to finish due to a 107-minute second-set comeback, the Filipinos’ doubles affair only needed 1 hour and 19 minutes to sweep the Thai pair of Luksika Kumkhum and Maximo Jones. In a display of sheer determination and endurance, Eala and Alcantara dug themselves out of a 2-3 game deficit in both sets, powering ahead with 4-1 game swings both times.
The last standing players in the Filipino tennis contingent, with nothing left to lose, head to a semifinal clash on Friday, September 29 for a bonus shot at assuring at least a silver. A semifinal win will assure Eala and Alcantara the best Asian Games tennis finish for the Philippines in 57 years.
Source: rappler.com
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