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Alex Eala ousts Osaka, moves one win away from DC Open crown
Among the four semifinalists in the WTA 500 Mubadala Citi DC Open, Alex Eala was the only unseeded player. T
hat, however, did not stop her from booking a place in the final.
Facing former world No. 1 and four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, the Filipina sensation maintained the superb form she has displayed all week, pulling off a commanding 6-4, 6-2 victory over the third-seeded Japanese star on Sunday morning (Manila time) in the tournament, also known as the Washington Open.
Osaka, 28, currently ranked world No. 13, entered the match in excellent form. She reached the final of the WTA 500 Bad Homburg and advanced to the Wimbledon quarterfinals, where she stunned world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets in the fourth round. Osaka’s runs in both tournaments ended at the hands of world No. 6 Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic.
Eala knew her chances depended on withstanding Osaka’s powerful groundstrokes and one of the biggest serves on the WTA Tour.
The two stayed on serve through the opening two games before the world No. 28 Filipina began to solve Osaka’s serve in the third, earning the first break of the match for a 2-1 lead.
Although Osaka immediately broke back in the fourth to level the score, Eala had already begun dictating the tempo by extending rallies and forcing the Japanese into uncomfortable exchanges.
The breakthrough came in the ninth game when Eala secured another crucial break to move ahead 5-4. She then calmly held serve in the next game to seal the opening set, 6-4.
The 21-year-old carried that momentum into the second set, breaking Osaka in the opening game and immediately taking control of the match.
Eala built a 3-1 advantage and nearly widened the gap further in the fifth game, holding four break points. Osaka, however, dug deep to save them all and stay within striking distance at 3-2.
That proved to be Osaka’s final stand.
Sensing victory, Eala refused to let her opponent back into the contest, sweeping the final three games to complete one of the biggest wins of her career and eliminate one of the greatest players of her generation.
With the victory, Eala reached her first-ever WTA 500 final, another milestone in her rapidly rising career.
She will now chase the biggest title of her career when she faces top seed and world No. 3 Jessica Pegula of the United States in the championship match early Monday morning.
The post Alex Eala ousts Osaka, moves one win away from DC Open crown appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.
Two weeks after inaugurating its basketball courts, Mighty Sports Center will officially open its volleyball courts at AcroCity in Guiguinto, Bulacan, on Saturday, October 10, in what promises to be another festive affair.
Rising star Jolina Dela Cruz and veterans Jovelyn Gonzaga and Rachell Anne Daquiz, along with the rest of the ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles, will join the celebration dubbed “SET.SPIKE.PLAY.”
AcroCity and Czark Mak chairman Caesar Wongchuking, a longtime sports patron, said that aside from the exhibition match between ZUS Coffee and the Makata Selection of Bulacan at 4 p.m., the event will also feature a meet-and-greet session where fans can interact with their PVL idols.
“Just like the inauguration of the basketball courts, fans can interact with these professional volleyball players,” said Wongchuking. “It’s our own little way to giving back to communities.”
Wongchuking added that proceeds from the event will go to Tahanang Mapagpala of Immaculada Concepcion Foundation, Inc. He also thanked ZUS Coffee owner Frank Lao for allowing his players to take part in the celebration.
Also expected to grace the event are Bulacan Vice Governor Alex Castro and Malolos City Mayor Christian Natividad.
The volleyball courts are part of the Mighty Sports Center at AcroCity, a development envisioned as a “Live, Work, Play” destination in Guiguinto.
Aside from its basketball and volleyball courts and modern fitness center, AcroCity is also home to Acro Residences Hotel, restaurants such as Cafe de Margaux and Mt. Fuji, and event venues including Ang Hardin and NDW Plaza, which is named after the Wongchuking family matriarch, Nelia D. Wongchuking.
The post ZUS Coffee to grace Mighty Sports Center volleyball court launch appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.
The Golden Eaglets of Nigeria will begin their qualifying campaign for the U17 AFCON against Cote d’Ivoire next week Wednesday.
The match schedule is out!
Ouagadougou will host the WAFU B U-17 AFCON Qualifying Tournament Burkina Faso 2026 from 10 to 23 October 2026.
West Africa’s best U-17 teams will battle for qualification to the U-17 AFCON.
Check out the official match schedule!
#WAFUB #U17AFCON #BurkinaFaso2026 #RoadToAFCON #YouthFootball #AfricanFootball
#UFOAB #WAFUB #U17AFCON #BurkinaFaso2026 #RoadToAFCON #YouthFootball
— CAF ZONE OUEST B (@CafZoneOuestB) October 7, 2026
Their other Group B match will be against Niger three days later.
The WAFU B U17 AFCON qualifying tournament will kick off Saturday, when hosts Burkina Faso take on Benin and Ghana square up against Togo.
Burkina Faso head Group A, whose overall winners will face runners-up in Group B for a place in the championship game.
The post Golden Eaglets begin U17 AFCON qualifiers vs Cote d’Ivoire first appeared on Score Nigeria.
Alex Eala and Shaira Rivera hurdled their first test as a doubles pair, defeating Hong Kong’s Kallista Liu and Lai Ching Laam, 6-1, 6-3, in the opening round of the women’s doubles tournament at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 on Tuesday.
With the outdoor courts washed out by continuous rain, Eala and Rivera had their original schedule pushed back to the evening. The long delay, however, did little to disrupt their rhythm as they quickly took control of the match.
Eala, ranked No. 127 in the world in doubles, and Rivera, a standout at NCAA Division II school University of West Alabama, needed little time to jell as a pair.
(C) POC Media
After their opponents held serve in the opening game, the Filipinas rattled off six straight games to take the first set in just 33 minutes.
The second set lasted a bit longer, but Eala and Rivera remained in control for most of the way to seal the victory at the Higashiyama Park Tennis Center.
The road ahead, however, will be considerably tougher in the second round. Eala and Rivera will face doubles specialists and third seeds Jiang Xinyu and Yang Zhaoxuan of China.
The 27-year-old Jiang is ranked No. 22 in the world in doubles and recently reached the Wimbledon semifinals. Then Yang, 31, has a career-high doubles ranking of No. 9 and has also reached the semifinals of the French Open.
Both Filipinas are also into the next round in their other competitions — Rivera with partner Francis Alcantara in mixed doubles, and Eala in the women’s singles.
The post Alex Eala, Shaira Rivera roll into Asian Games doubles second round appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.
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