Nagoya, Japan – Philippines tennis trailblazer Alexandra Eala was in ruthless mood at the Asian Games on Monday as rain disrupted some events and Japanese organizers faced renewed accusations of mismanagement. Eala launched her title charge with victory in just 55 minutes against the outclassed world No. 517 Patcharin Cheapchandej. Eala, ranked 18 and favorite for gold in Nagoya, thrashed the Thai 6-1, 6-0, after the bad weather delayed the start and forced the match inside onto a smaller court.
Top seed Eala will face Taiwan’s U.K.-born eighth seed Joanna Garland in the quarterfinals. Eala, 21, last month became the first player from the Philippines to win a WTA Tour title. Taiwan boxer Lin Yu-ting, the Olympic champion who was thrust into a major gender row at Paris 2024, guaranteed herself at least a bronze medal.
Lin defeated North Korea’s Won Un Gyong in the women’s 60kg class in Nagoya to reach the semifinals, as she chases a second Asian Games gold. The 30-year-old said ahead of the Games that she had considered retiring after the Paris Olympics but wanted to carry on fighting in part to defy those who questioned her eligibility. Lin and Imane Khelif of Algeria were disqualified from the 2023 world championships by the International Boxing Association (IBA) after the organization said they failed unspecified gender eligibility tests.
However, the IOC allowed them to compete in Paris, saying they were victims of “a sudden and arbitrary decision” by the widely discredited IBA. Both went on to win gold. Rain fell steadily throughout the evening on the athletics, where Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage embellished his fast-growing reputation with men’s javelin gold.
China extended its dominance in diving, where it is unbeaten, as the country’s overall haul of golds swelled to 129 by Monday evening. Host Japan is a distant second in the medals table and South Korea third. India and Pakistan stayed on course to meet in the men’s cricket final after both quarterfinals were abandoned because of rain and a sodden outfield.
Pakistan went through first against Hong Kong without a ball being bowled under competition rules that say the highest-seeded side progresses. A few hours later, with rain in the air, India progressed against Afghanistan with no prospect of play. The rain started yesterday, so hard luck for us.
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