Leylah Fernandez praises Alex Eala and ‘beautiful’ PH crowd they share

Inquirer.net - Sep 21, 2026

SINGAPORE–Alex Eala won’t be making her much-awaited debut in the Singapore Open main draw until Wednesday night. But Filipino fans will have someone to root for as early as Monday night when Leylah Fernandez hits center court at OCBC Arena here. Fernandez, born and raised in Montreal, Canada, but also proud of her Filipino roots,

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S. Korea pounds Mongolia to grab quarterfinal berth in women's hoops
Sep 21, 2026

S. Korea pounds Mongolia to grab quarterfinal berth in women's hoops

South Korea hammered Mongolia 88-61 on Monday to secure a spot in the quarterfinals of the women's basketball tournament at the ongoing Asian Games. Forward Lee Hae-ran led the balanced attack with 20 points at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, central Japan, where South Korea enjoyed its second straight victory in Group C. South Korea, after opening the competition with a 106-40 win over Malaysia on Friday, clinched a ticket to the quarterfinals before playing Chinese Taipei on Tuesday at the same Nagoya gym. There are two groups of four and one group of three in the women's event. The top two teams from each group, plus the two best third-place teams, will advance to the quarterfinals. All three third-place teams have two losses, meaning South Korea will at least squeeze into the quarterfinals as one of the top third-place teams even if it loses to Chinese Taipei on Tuesday. In Monday's game, South Korea outscored Mongolia 28-9 in the first quarter to set the tone early. Mongolia won the second half 42-37, but that was not nearly enough to overcome the early deficit. Captain Kang Lee-

An Hyeon-gi takes bronze in wushu
Sep 21, 2026

An Hyeon-gi takes bronze in wushu

An Hyeon-gi delivered South Korea its first wushu medal at the ongoing Asian Games with his bronze in the men's taijiquan and taijijian event Monday. An finished in third place with a total score of 19.429 points at Aichi Prefectural Martial Arts Hall in Nagoya, central Japan. Liu Dewen of China won gold with 19.560 points and Sun Chia-hung of Chinese Taipei was the runner-up with 19.453 points. In both disciplines, athletes were judged on three categories: quality of movement, overall performance, degree of difficulty, with a maximum of 10 points total. An scored 9.713 points in taijiquan and picked up 9.716 points in taijijian. Taijiquan evaluates athletes on slow but controlled movements. Taijijian looks for athletes' technical precision and artistic performance with a double-edged sword.

Lips sealed, but youth impossible to hide: NK athletes show 2 faces at Asian Games
Sep 21, 2026

Lips sealed, but youth impossible to hide: NK athletes show 2 faces at Asian Games

The North Korean women's football team's "clocking out" after an 8-0 thrashing of Myanmar at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan, on the night of Sept. 17 was unusually late. It was about 15 minutes after the Myanmar players had left the stadium before the door to the North Korean locker room finally opened. Inside, reporters caught sight of unmistakably youthful players bustling about as they stuffed snacks provided by the organizing committee into brown paper bags. Whether they knew they were being watched or not, the players appeared excited about their unexpected haul. But as soon as they approached the Korean reporters waiting in the mixed zone, their demeanor suddenly changed. With stern expressions and their eyes deliberately averted, they did not respond to reporters' requests to "say just a few words about the big win." Carrying bags of snacks in their hands, the players quickly walked out of the stadium. North Korea, which is making its first appearance at an Asian Games held in Japan, is keeping tight control over its athletes during the competition. According to an event official,

Yoon Ji-hwan wins bronze in men's 50m backstroke swimming
Sep 21, 2026

Yoon Ji-hwan wins bronze in men's 50m backstroke swimming

Yoon Ji-hwan won bronze in the men's 50-meter backstroke swimming event at the Asian Games on Monday, his first medal at the quadrennial event in his debut. Yoon, 20, clocked 24.54 seconds for bronze at Tokyo Aquatics Centre in the Japanese capital. Xu Jiayu of China captured the gold medal with a new Asian Games record time of 24.04 seconds, beating his compatriot, Wang Zicheng, by 0.45 second. This was the fourth swimming medal for South Korea at this year's Asian Games.

[Asian Games] Kim Young-beom wins men's 50m freestyle swimming in record time
Sep 21, 2026

[Asian Games] Kim Young-beom wins men's 50m freestyle swimming in record time

TOKYO—Kim Young-beom raced to the men's 50-meter freestyle swimming gold medal in record-breaking style at the Asian Games on Monday. The 20-year-old won the shortest swimming event with a new Asian Games record time of 21.66 seconds at Tokyo Aquatics Centre in the Japanese capital. In the heats held earlier Monday, Kim had set an Asian Games record with 21.71 seconds, bettering the previous record of 21.72 seconds set by fellow Korean Ji Yu-chan when he won the 2023 Asiad gold. Just hours later, Kim broke his own mark by 0.05 second to deliver South Korea its first swimming gold of this year's Asian Games. Kim had earlier won silver in the 100m freestyle Sunday. Ji got the bronze medal this time in 21.94 seconds, with Ho Ian Yentou of Hong Kong taking silver in 21.76 seconds. Kim had a reaction time of 0.66 second, tied with two others for the fourth fastest in the 10-man final. But he beat everyone to the final pad with a mad dash down the stretch. The men's 50m freestyle was added to the Asian Games in 1990, and Kim's title gave South Korea back-to-back champions for the first time.

[Asian Games] S. Korea, N. Korea draw 1-1 in women's football at Asian Games
Sep 21, 2026

[Asian Games] S. Korea, N. Korea draw 1-1 in women's football at Asian Games

FUKUROI, Japan — An inter-Korean match in women's football at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games ended in a draw on Monday, with South Korea finishing second in Group F. South Korea and North Korea tied 1-1 in the final Group F preliminary-round match at Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa in Fukuroi, some 104 kilometers east of the main host city Nagoya. With two wins and one draw apiece, North Korea topped Group F with a plus-18 goal difference, while South Korea finished second with a plus-11 goal difference. Before Monday's match, both Korean teams had already secured berths in the quarterfinals with two wins each. At the Asian Games, 12 teams are divided into three groups, with the top two teams from each group and the two best-performing third-place teams advancing to the quarterfinals. The two Koreas exchanged several chances inside the box during the first 30 minutes but failed to score. In the 36th minute, North Korea took the lead. Chae Un-yong received the ball from Jon Ryong-jong's corner and struck it toward the goal with a quick touch. A few minutes later, Jon had a one-on-one chance on the le

[Asian Games] Teen swimmer Kim Seung-won wins bronze in women's 50m backstroke
Sep 21, 2026

[Asian Games] Teen swimmer Kim Seung-won wins bronze in women's 50m backstroke

TOKYO — Kim Seung-won grabbed the bronze medal in the women's 50-meter backstroke swimming at the Asian Games on Monday. The 16-year-old clocked 27.72 seconds at Tokyo Aquatics Centre to win her first medal in her very first Asian Games event. Wan Letian of China claimed the gold medal in 27.47 seconds, 0.19 second faster than fellow Chinese swimmer, Wang Xueer. Kim's was South Korea's fifth swimming medal at this year's Asiad. She is also slated to compete in the 100m backstroke, women's 4x100m medley relay and mixed 4x100m medley relay. Kim's reaction time of 0.56 second was tied for the second fastest in the 10-swimmer final and was 0.04 faster than Wang. But the Chinese ended up beating the South Korean for the silver, with Wan finishing ahead of both. "I worked so hard for the Asian Games here, and I am so pleased to win my first medal," Kim said, smiling ear to ear. "I was just so happy to have an opportunity to show how hard I have trained for this international event. I have more races left, and I will prepare for them the best I can."

[Asian Games] Swimming champion determined to keep pursuing bigger goals
Sep 21, 2026

[Asian Games] Swimming champion determined to keep pursuing bigger goals

TOKYO — Throughout his nine-minute interview after winning his first Asian Games gold medal on Monday, swimmer Kim Young-beom, the men's 50-meter freestyle champion, kept touching and cradling the prize around his neck, so incredulous was he that he had captured it. "Man, this thing is so heavy. I might get a neck spasm," Kim cracked. "I thought it would hit me once I put it around my neck. I still can't believe this gold medal is mine. They played our national anthem in such a big arena just to congratulate me. It was an incredible feeling. I didn't believe I had won this race even when I saw my name on the board right afterward." Kim's title-winning race at Tokyo Aquatics Centre also bordered on disbelief. He established an Asian record of 21.66 seconds, only hours after he had set one in the heats with 21.71 seconds. Rare is a swimmer who breaks a record in the heats, since athletes often save their best for the finals scheduled for later in the day. Even rarer is a swimmer who breaks his own record within the same day. "Ahead of the final, I just wanted to swim the same way I did i

[Asian Games] S. Korea loses to Japan to drop to bronze medal match in women's volleyball
Sep 21, 2026

[Asian Games] S. Korea loses to Japan to drop to bronze medal match in women's volleyball

NAGOYA, Japan — South Korea lost to Japan in the semifinals of the women's volleyball tournament at the Asian Games on Monday, dropping to the bronze medal contest against Thailand. Japan defeated South Korea in straight sets, 3-0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-16) in the semifinals at Park Arena Komaki in Komaki, just north of Nagoya. South Korea went undefeated in the group phase and eliminated Kazakhstan in the quarterfinals but could not get past the host country in its quest for its first gold since 2014. South Korea will take on Thailand at 4 p.m. Tuesday with the bronze medal on the line. South Korea missed the podium at the 2023 Asian Games and has never gone consecutive Asiads without a women's volleyball medal. South Korea stayed close in the first set. But down 14-13, South Korea fell further back on an ace and blocks by Japan. In the second set, South Korea briefly led before falling back 21-19. South Korea got a couple of points back while down 23-19 but ran out of steam. South Korea conceded four straight points in one stretch to go down 12-6. South Korea cut it to 13-11 but did not get

[Asian Games] S. Korea shuts out Chinese Taipei to begin baseball title defense
Sep 21, 2026

[Asian Games] S. Korea shuts out Chinese Taipei to begin baseball title defense

NAGOYA — South Korea blanked Chinese Taipei 5-0 to begin its quest for a fifth consecutive Asian Games baseball gold medal on Monday. Starter Gwak Been tossed six no-hit innings and struck out 10 batters, while five different batters each drove in a run in Group B action at Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Baseball Stadium in Okazaki, some 50 kilometers southeast of the main host city Nagoya. After Gwak was lifted, Jo Byeong-hyeon tossed two hitless innings before Park Yeong-hyun pitched around a couple of hits in his one inning of work. Made up of stars from the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), South Korea will next play Hong Kong at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Toyohashi Municipal Baseball Stadium in Toyohashi, some 85 km southeast of Nagoya. The final Group C game will be against Thailand at noon Wednesday in Okazaki. The two best teams from each of the two groups will advance to the Super Round, and the top two teams from that phase will meet for the gold medal at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday in Toyohashi. With two heavy underdogs on the horizon, South Korea will likely win Group B and reach the Super Round

Globetrotting Alex Eala finally ‘closer to home’ at Singapore Open
Sep 21, 2026

Globetrotting Alex Eala finally ‘closer to home’ at Singapore Open

SINGAPORE–Living out of a suitcase in different cities across the globe, Alex Eala couldn’t hide her excitement about finally playing “closer to home.” After stops in Australia, the Middle East, Europe, and North America, Eala is now in Singapore to kick off the WTA Tour’s Asian swing. “I’m excited [to play in Singapore]. I’m closer

Perpetual stays hot, hands San Sebastián another loss for 2nd straight win
Sep 21, 2026

Perpetual stays hot, hands San Sebastián another loss for 2nd straight win

MANILA, Philippines — The University of Perpetual Help System-DALTA continued its momentum in the NCAA Season 102 men’s basketball tournament, securing an 86-74 victory over the still-winless San Sebastián College-Recoletos on Monday night at the PhilSports Arena. JM Tulabut spearheaded the Altas' attack with 18 points, while LA Casinillo provided solid support with 15. Mark Gojo Cruz delivered an all-around performance, adding 12 points, five rebounds, and six assists to keep Perpetual in control. Capitalizing on their size, the Altas dominated the glass with a 46-30 rebounding edge over the Golden Stags. While Perpetual head coach Olsen Racela acknowledged the clear size benefit, he emphasized that execution and work ethic were the true keys to the victory. “It all boils down to the fundamentals, the effort, and the strategy," Racela said. "The techniques showed, and I see the hustle and the grind of the team, which is good.” Niel Castor and Arwin Alforque led the effort for San Sebastián, scoring 17 and 12 points, respectively, but their efforts weren't enough to halt the Stags' losing slump.

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