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How to Watch Alex Eala’s Asian Games Debut: Schedule, Broadcast, and Streaming Info

Alexandra Eala from the Philippines is set to start her Asian Games campaign in Nagoya on Monday, September 28, 2026. She faces Thailand's Patcharin Cheapchandej in the women’s singles Round of 16. After a tough loss in Singapore just days earlier, Eala moves swiftly to this bigger stage.

Eala holds the No. 1 seed for the tournament and stands as the highest-ranked player in the women’s singles with a WTA ranking of No. 18. She received a bye in the first round, while Cheapchandej earned her spot by defeating Mahin Aftab Qureshi of Pakistan 6-1, 6-1 in under an hour.

Match Timing Details

The match will take place on Centre Court but not at a fixed time. Play starts at 9 a.m. Philippine time with a men’s singles match, followed by a women’s doubles match, after which Eala's game will begin. The exact time depends on how long earlier matches last, so fans should check the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 official results site for real-time updates.

Broadcast and Streaming Options

Filipino viewers can catch Eala’s matches live thanks to Cignal, the official Philippine broadcaster for the Asian Games. Cignal invested approximately Php 1 million (about $16,000) to bring its own camera and digital setup at the Higashiyama Park Tennis Center since tennis wasn’t included in the host broadcaster’s guaranteed live feed.

  • Channels and platforms airing the Asian Games tennis coverage:
  • One Sports
  • One Sports+
  • Cignal Play
  • Pilipinas Live
  • RPTV
  • One Sports YouTube channel

This ensures that one of the country’s top medal prospects won’t be missed by fans back home.

Head-to-Head History and Rankings

Eala has already beaten Cheapchandej once before, winning 6-3, 6-4 at the 2022 ITF W25 Chiang Rai tournament in Thailand, where she eventually took the title. Their current rankings show a widening gap: Eala at No. 18 globally, while Cheapchandej, a 31-year-old veteran with 13 ITF singles titles, sits at No. 510. The Thai player’s best WTA ranking was No. 356.

Coming off a demanding three-hour, three-set loss in Singapore to Tatiana Prozorova, Eala is eager to prove herself on this new stage.

Asian Games Gold and Olympic Qualification

Beyond a medal, Eala’s performance in Nagoya could secure a spot in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The International Tennis Federation awards Olympic qualification spots to the men’s and women’s singles champions at the Asian Games, assuming they meet specific conditions. The player must be ranked within the Top 500 worldwide and their country must not have already filled its four-player singles quota through direct qualification. With her current ranking, Eala meets the criteria comfortably.

The 2026 Asian Games are the first to offer these ITF Olympic places, adding weight to Eala’s decision to compete here instead of at the China Open, a mandatory WTA 1000 event that overlaps with the Games.

The Philippine Tennis Association has requested an exemption from the WTA regarding this choice. While no penalties have been confirmed yet, if the exemption is denied, Eala could face a $10,000 fine and lose ranking points for missing the mandatory event.

"You know, the Asian Games happens once every four years," Eala said recently. "I just found myself drawn to compete in that over other stuff."

She already knows what it means to medal here, having won bronze in women’s singles and mixed doubles at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou.

Now, as the top seed and highest-ranked woman in the draw, Eala is aiming for gold and a ticket to the Olympics. Her journey begins Monday against a familiar rival.

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