Asian Games, day 8: gold for squash, but ‘fencing Hong Kong’s No 1 sport,’ Fong says

MANILA, Philippines — The Mapua University suffered a three-game skid before scoring a breakthrough victory against the defending champion San Beda University, 55-54, in Group A of the NCAA Season 102 men’s basketball tournament on Monday afternoon at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City. Mapua had a tough string of losses and finally cracked through the win column with the late-game heroics of Jamal Diaz, who was responsible to turn things around when San Beda was leading by 54-49 in the last one minute and 25 seconds of the final canto.  Diaz drained a triple with 54 ticks left, as San Beda's Sean Torculas missed a two-point jump shot.  With under 20 seconds left, Diaz delivered another triple with 12 seconds left that allowed Mapua to earn a 55-54 lead.  The Cardinals played hard-nosed defense, preventing San Beda from converting any points in the dying seconds of the match.  Diaz finished with eight points along with five rebounds.  Marc Cuenco led the scoring for Mapua with 19 points.  San Beda was led by Richi Calimag, who poured in 18 points, while Lawrence Hawkins made 13 markers along with eight rebounds.

Mapua def. San Beda, 55-54 Jamal Diaz Player of the Game #NCAASeason102

Nesthy Petecio fell short of a medal after absorbing a unanimous decision loss to Yang Chengyu of China in the 2026 Asian Games women's 60kg quarterfinals on Monday in Japan.

MANILA, Philippines -- Filipino tennis ace Alexandra "Alex" Eala began her 20th Asian Games gold medal bid on a high note after dominating Patcharin Cheapchandej in the round of 16, 6-1, 6-0, at the Nagoya City Higashiyama Park Tennis Center Indoor Court C in Japan Monday afternoon. The second round match was supposed to be played outdoors at the Show Court but was moved indoors due to rains. The inclement weather also delayed the match for about five hours. The delay did nothing to bother the world No. 18 and tournament top seed Eala, who jumped on No. 505 Cheapchandej to dictate the match for the rest of the way. Raring to bounce back after a shock second round exit in Singapore last Thursday, Eala bageled Cheapchandej in the second set capped by a booming ace to close the match. Eala faces world No. 142 Joanna Garland of Taiwan in the quarterfinals on Tuesday. Garland defeated Mandegar Farzami in their round of 16 clash. Eala also competes in the doubles side with Shaira Rivera, as they face the Hong Kong tandem of Lai Ching Laam and Liu Kallista in the first round on Tuesday. Rivera got off to a winning start in the mixed doubles with Francis Alcantara as they defeated the Iranian duo of Meshkatolzahra and Kasra Rahmani, 6-4, 1-6, 10-8, last Sunday.

Alex Eala got off to a rousing start in her 2026 Asian Games debut, ousting Thailand's Patcharin Cheapchandej, 6-1, 6-0, in their rain-delayed Round of 16 bout on Monday at the Indoor Court C of the Higashiyama Park Tennis Center in Japan.

MANILA, Philippines — Two-time Olympic medalist Nesthy Petecio ended her podium bid in the 2026 Asian Games campaign after losing via unanimous decision over Chinese foe Chengyu Yang on Monday afternoon in Nishio City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Petecio, the most-bemedalled Filipina boxer, initially gunning for a podium spot in this edition, as this is her third time competing in Asiad. She flexed her southpaw stance early in the opening frame and exchanged volume of punches against Yang. However, despite Petecio making a combination of an uppercut, a straight punch, and an overhand left, she received a one-point deduction that allowed the Chinese to earn the five nods from the judges. Yang was less aggressive in the second frame, and Petecio switched things up after starting with an orthodox stance. The Filipino pug had a clean right hook, but it was not enough to impress the judges. Petecio loaded up her punches in the final round, hoping to win via stoppage. The Chinese boxer was playing smartly and was not engaging in the first minute, despite Petecio scoring a left hook. However, Yang managed to stay alive in the final round. Petecio earned a silver medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, followed by a bronze in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The Philippines is assured of two more medals in the 2026 Asian Games after the sepak takraw team delivered a bronze medal in one event and advanced to the finals in another to hike the country's medal tally on Monday.

MANILA, Philippines -- The Philippine men's sepaktakraw regu team fell to Malaysia in the semifinals, 15-10, 11-15, 7-15, to settle for a bronze medal in the 20th Asian Games at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Gymnasium in Japan on Monday. Captain Jason Huerte, Reynaldo Asilum Jr., Jom Lerry Rafael, Glindel Phori and Ronsited Gabayeron could not sustain their strong start as they lost steam especially in the third set. The Malaysian team were composed of captain Aidil Aiman Azwawi, Muhammad Aifuddin Mohd Razali, Muhammad Zulkfifli Abd Razak, Mohamad Azlan Alias, and Mohammad Syahir Mohd Rosdi. A win against the Malaysians would have sent the Philippine men's team for a shot at gold like its women's counterparts.

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine women’s sepak takraw doubles team advanced to the gold medal match of the 2026 Asian Games after defeating Laos, 15-12, 15-10, in the semifinals. Composed of Jean Marie Sucalit, Abegail Sinogbuhan, and Nelly Jay Salon, the squad will face Vietnam in the finals on Sept. 29 as they aim to secure the country’s first-ever Asian Games gold medal in the sport. Since sepak takraw was introduced to the Asian Games in 1990, the Philippines has yet to win gold in the discipline. The nation earned its first Asian Games medals in the sport at the 2022 Hangzhou Asiad (held in 2023), taking bronze in both the men’s regu and men’s quadrant events.

MANILA, Philippines — Despite barely warming his seat as president of the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF), Frank Lao is taking full responsibility and accountability for the lack of financial support for the national athletes competing in the 20th Asian Games. In a statement on Monday, Lao issued a humble apology to the Alas Pilipinas men’s squad — particularly team captain Bryan Bagunas — following his revelations about the severe lack of federation backing heading into this prestigious continental showcase. Lao, a distinguished businessman and chairman of Strong Group Athletics, admitted that upon stepping into office last month, he inherited a depleted treasury burdened with roughly P25 million in liabilities and outstanding payables. Compounding the crisis, financial assistance from the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) remains frozen following the suspension and withdrawal of support by the International Volleyball Federation and the Philippine Olympic Committee last June — a fallout that effectively choked off the allowances of athletes preparing for the Asian Games. With that, Lao has begun digging into his own personal resources to settle federation debts, clear unpaid coaching salaries, and cover foreign travel expenses. In fact, before the Alas Pilipinas Men flew to Nagoya, he personally distributed P20,000 in pocket money to each player and shouldered the round-trip airfare for late addition Owa Retamar.    “As president of the PNVF, I take full accountability for what happened to the allowances of both Alas Pilipinas Men and Women squads as well as the beach volleyball teams,” said Lao, who stayed until the wee hours of Monday trying to figure out how to solve this financial crisis and stabilize the morale of the athletes competing in the Asian Games.  “After taking over the PNVF in the middle of August, we were left with nothing but more than P25 million in debt. We are now starting to pay all the coaches, settle travel trips, and clear other payables that the federation owes them.” The PNVF had been mired in toxic leadership disputes long before Lao secured the presidency during the August 10 special elections at the Solaire Theater Southlinks Boardroom.    Yet, rather than pointing fingers or making excuses, Lao is turning the page and calling on stakeholders to rally behind the athletes. “Ako na ang humihingi ng pasensya na nagkulang kami. Pero bigyan nyo kami ng pagkakataon na makabawi sa inyo,” Lao said, displaying a rare corporate humility in the face of an administrative mess created and left by his predecessors. “Just give me some time po. Sa akin ito bilang presidente ng PNVF. I take this responsibility. Sorry po.” TMT

MANILA, Philippines — The embattled Alas Pilipinas men’s national volleyball team put up a spirited fight against World No. 34 China, but ultimately fell in four sets, 25-20, 25-21, 25-20, 25-21, in the preliminary round of the 2026 Asian Games on Monday at the Park Arena Komaki in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. The loss drops World No. 115 Philippines to a 0-2 record in Pool D, eliminating them from quarterfinal contention as only the top two teams from each pool advance. While Alas held an edge in attacks—outscoring China 42 to 31—unforced errors proved costly for the Filipinos. The national team gave away 28 total points, including 10 service errors, compared to China's disciplined nine total errors and just three service faults. Lacking height and financial backing compared to their top-tier opponents, Alas was led by team captain Bryan Bagunas, who tallied 15 points on 12 attacks and three aces. Leo Ordiales added 11 markers, while middle blocker Peng Taguibolos chipped in nine. Playmaker Owa Retamar dished out 12 excellent sets, while Joshua Magalaman and Marck Espejo contributed six and five points, respectively. China mounted a balanced offense to secure the win, led by Zihua Wen’s team-high 10 points. Yongzhen Li and Bin Wang added eight points apiece, supported by Yuantai Yu (6), Lei Li (4), and Chuan Jiang (2). Alas Pilipinas, which placed 13th in the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, will seek its first victory of the tournament when it closes out pool play against World No. 55 Taiwan on Tuesday.

Alas Pilipinas Men put together another gallant stand but came up short, absorbing a 25-21, 25-20, 25-22 loss to powerhouse China in the 2026 Asian Games men"s volleyball tournament on Monday at Park Arena Komaki in Japan.