Philippine tennis has won an Asian Games medal after almost 17 years, courtesy of the women’s singles bronze finish of Alex Eala in her debut campaign in Hangzhou, China.

The fourth seed was outlasted by 2023 US Open quarterfinalist and Chinese No. 1 seed Qinwen Zheng in the semifinals on Thursday, 1-6, 7-6(5), 3-6.

Despite saving three match points, the 190th-ranked Eala settled for the bronze against WTA World No. 23 Zheng.

The last time the Philippines earned an Asiad podium finish in tennis was in 2006 when Cecil Mamiit took home the bronze medals in men’s singles and doubles with Eric Taino in Doha, Qatar.

On Centre Court at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre, the 18-year-old Filipino with three Southeast Asian Games bronze medals saved a break point to open the match with a hold.

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Zheng, 20, advanced to 3-1 after staving off a break point and stormed to 5-1 with a hold at 40-15.

The Chinese ace, who won her first WTA title in July at the Palermo Ladies Open, broke after two deuces to take the first set, 6-1.

Eala, who has four ITF women’s singles crowns, recovered in the second set by breaking on her fifth opportunity in the opening game with a backhand winner.

The semifinalists reached 2-2 via service breaks, until the top seed from China inched closer to victory by forcing a long backhand return of serve, 5-2.

Eala saved two match points to trail at 3-5, converted her fourth break point as Zheng was serving for the win, and leveled at 5-5 via another match point save.

Zheng then stepped out for a break before Eala served to stay in the match for the third time at 5-6, and the Filipino teen caught up to 6-6 to force a tiebreak.

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Eala fired a winning backhand to earn her first set point, 6-5, and scored her only mini-break to bring up a third set, 7-6(5).

The decider’s first break was clinched by Eala for a 3-1 edge, and Zheng equalized and claimed the lead with a love hold for 5-3.

Zheng earned two more match points and bagged the win with a break, 6-3, to enter the final on Friday versus either Chinese second seed Lin Zhu or Japanese sixth seed Haruka Kaji.

Eala, who won the US Open Juniors singles title in 2022, kicked off her maiden Asiad run with a 6-0, 6-0 ouster of Pakistani Sarah Ibrahim Khan in the second round after getting a bye in the first round.

She defeated Indian 13th seed Rutuja Bhosale in the third round, 7-6(5), 6-2, and Japanese 11th seed Kyoka Okamura in the quarterfinals, 0-6, 7-5, 6-0.

In mixed doubles, the 14th-seeded tandem of Eala and Francis Casey Alcantara will play in the quarterfinals later in the day against Thai 11th seeds Luksika Kumkhum and Maximus Parapol Jones.

The Filipino junior doubles grand slam champions got a bye in the opening round then eliminated Nepal’s Sunira Thapa and Pranav Khanal in the second round, 6-0, 6-0, and Indian top seeds Ankita Raina and Yuki Bhambri in the third round, 6-4, 4-6, 10-8.

Alcantara also competed in the men’s doubles draw with fellow two-time SEAG gold medalist Ruben Gonzales, and the No. 4 seeds lost in the first round to Thailand’s Thantub Suksumrarn and Wishaya Trongcharoenchaikul, 6-4, 4-6, 5-10.

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