NAGOYA, Japan (AP) — Alex Eala of the Philippines hoped to take gold at the Asian Games and earn her an automatic berth in tennis at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
She got neither.
Wang Xiyu of China defeated Eala 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the semifinals on Thursday to set up a final against fellow Chinese Zhang Shuai. Zhang defeated Yuliya Putintseva of Kazakhstan 6-4, 6-2.
In addition to the loss, Eala could still face a $10,000 fine for withdrawing from the China Open in Beijing — a mandatory WTA 1000-level event — to represent the Philippines at the Asian Games.
“Yeah, of course — disappointed,” Eala said. "It’s hard right after the match. I will have to process the emotions and process the match.”
Eala led 5-0 in the first set, but Wang closed to 5-3 and seemed to gain an edge before Eala took the set.
“I think it happened — momentum shift happened,” Eala said. "Everyone’s constantly trying to find a way. So I think she played really well today.”
The 21-year-old described losing to the 85th-ranked Wang as a learning moment. Eala is ranked 18th and is one of the rising stars in the game.
“I just think I take away a great experience," Eala said ”Of course, some lessons that I have to process."
Eala defeated Wang 6-4, 6-3 on clay five months ago at the Italian Open, their only previous meeting.
It was different this time on a hard surface.
Both Eala and the other semifinal loser, Putintseva, were awarded bronze medals.
“First of all, I believed in myself and believed that I could do it,” the 25-year-old Wang said. "Step by step, I was able to beat her.”
In the final Wang faces Zhang, who is 37 and has been a mentor to many younger Chinese players. She has won two Grand Slam doubles titles and could land a berth in the Olympics by beating her younger student.
“Of course, this is definitely one of my motivations,” Wang said of the Olympics. “But I hope I can focus on every single point — every single strike of the ball.”
SNTV video journalist Nicky Zhu contributed to this report.
See full AP coverage of Asian sports here
FILE - Wang Xiyu, of China, returns the ball to Iga Swiatek, of Poland, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships on Aug. 31, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to review a Trump administration policy denying bond hearings for immigrants as the government carries out a sweeping crackdown.
The justices will consider whether immigrants who have been living in the U.S. have a right to a hearing to determine if they should remain detained while challenging their possible deportation.
Most appeals courts to have considered the issue have found that it violates federal law to detain immigrants, including those living in the U.S. illegally, without a bond hearing.
Those decisions conflict with rulings by the 5th and 8th circuits, which held that immigrants accused of illegally entering and remaining in the U.S. must be detained while their deportation cases are pending.
Attorneys from President Donald Trump’s administration argue the circuits’ split is “disrupting the orderly administration of immigration law.” They say the nation’s courts have been inundated with thousands of petitions filed by immigrants challenging the government’s legal interpretation.
“The result is an unworkable patchwork of inconsistent immigration enforcement, where aliens present without admission are subject to mandatory detention in some circuits but are entitled to bond hearings and often released in others,” lawyers for the Republican administration wrote.
The plaintiffs are immigrants represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, which says hundreds of district court judges have joined most circuits in rejecting the Trump administration’s new reading of the statutes. Plaintiffs’ lawyers say the administration is trying to deny bond hearings for immigrants apprehended anywhere in the U.S. — no matter how long they’ve lived in the country — rather than limiting the restriction to noncitizens stopped at the border.
“Millions of noncitizens could be affected by the government’s new interpretation,” ACLU attorneys wrote.
The Trump administration says its new mandatory detention policy is legal under a 1996 immigration law. The policy change departs from the practices of prior administrations, which typically allowed most noncitizens without criminal records to request a bond hearing if they were arrested away from the border.
Follow the AP’s coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court at https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court.
The U.S. Supreme Court is seen Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)
