Alex Eala did not exactly ease into the Asian Games. She arrived with a racket and apparently no interest in small talk.
The Philippines’ tennis ace opened her campaign in Japan with a brisk 6-1, 6-0 victory over Thailand’s Patcharin Cheapchandej, turning her debut into something closer to a clinic than a contest.
The setting was hardly grand. Inclement weather forced the match onto a practice court, where the crowd was sparse, and the usual Asian Games buzz was noticeably muted.
Eala supplied her own atmosphere.
Wearing blue and white with “Philippines” across her back, she quickly took control, attacking Cheapchandej’s serve and dictating the exchanges from the baseline. The Thai managed only one game in the opening set, while Eala repeatedly turned pressure into breaks.
Cheapchandej briefly threatened to make the match interesting when she pushed Eala through several break points in the first set. Eala absorbed the pressure, held serve, then promptly resumed her march.
The second set was even more one-sided. Eala broke immediately and never let Cheapchandej find a foothold, combining sharp returns with the kind of controlled aggression that leaves an opponent spending more time defending than constructing points.
The final score said plenty. The second set said even more.
Six games to love.
There was no need for theatrics, and Eala provided none. After a season of competing on bigger stages against considerably tougher opposition, she treated her Asian Games opener like a job to finish rather than an occasion to savor.
Perhaps that was fitting for a match played on a practice court.
The venue may have been quiet, but Eala’s racket was doing enough talking for everyone.
The first hurdle is cleared. The Asian Games draw, however, is only getting started, and the road ahead will demand considerably more than a comfortable opening-day stroll.
