AsiaLogue - Women's Sports

Oct 5, 2026

Manila AQ Prime Assets raises record to 4-0 in PCAP

The Manila AQ Prime Assets extended its unbeaten streak to four matches after scoring impressive win on Saturday in the Professional Chess Association of the Philippines (PCAP). After hacking out towering victories against Mindoro (21-0) on Sept. 26, Laguna (19-2) and Pasig (17.5-3.5) on Sept. 30 to start the online chess tournament, the Manila AQ Prime Assets made it four in a row after outdueling San Juan Predators (14-7) on Oct. 3. Manila AQ Prime Assets outdueled San Juan, 10-4, in rapid play as import GM Aaryan Varshney of India, National Master Dale Bernardo, Woman Fide Master Allaney Jia Doroy and Fide Master Christian Mark Daluz won their respective matches even as International Master Ronald Dableo and NM Adrian Perez settled for draws. Varshney defeated IM Rolando Nolte; Bernardo toppled NM Karl Victor Ochoa; Doroy nipped WNM Arvie Lozano; Daluz subdued Kevin Arquero; Dableo split the points with NM Julius Gonzales and Perez drew with FM Narquingden Reyes. Import GM Victor Moskalenko of Israel carried the fight for San Juan by beating IM Ricardo de Guzman. In the blitz portion of the match, Manila AQ Prime Assets edged San Juan, 4-3. Manila AQ Prime Assets, supported by Atty. Aldwin Alegre, is set to play Camarines on Wednesday, Oct. 7. The PCAP online chess tournament is being held thru Chess.com Platform.

Oct 5, 2026

Skipping China Open, Eala no longer in contention for WTA Finals

MANILA, Philippines -- Filipino tennis ace Alex Eala is already eliminated from the WTA Finals after skipping the WTA 1000 China Open for the 20th Asian Games in Japan. Currently at No. 17, an "X" is already placed next to Eala's name in the WTA live race Monday, signifying that she's no longer in contention for the season-ending event. Eala missed out on precious ranking points to play for the Philippines in the Asiad, where she made a semifinal finish for a bronze medal.

Oct 5, 2026

Injury-ravaged Việt Nam in bronze medal fight with Malaysia

Việt Nam finished second in Group B of the tournament's Division one, recording two wins and one loss.

Oct 5, 2026

Ronaldo can return to Portugal team if he wants — Coach Jesus

PORTO, Portugal — Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo can return to the squad if he wishes, despite walking out on his team-mates, said national team coach Jorge Jesus on Sunday. Jesus said Ronaldo can come back into the fold "if he wants to" after the team beat Norway without the veteran attacker to reach the Nations League quarter-finals. The dispute began last week when Jesus left 41-year-old Ronaldo on the bench for Portugal's first win over Norway. Ronaldo subsequently walked out on the squad on Wednesday after learning he would not start against Denmark. "For me, Cris, in the next call-up, if he's playing at Al-Nassr, he'll be a player who can be called up," Jesus told reporters, referring to Ronaldo's Saudi club side. "If he wants to, he'll return to the national team." The coach said if Ronaldo wishes to speak to him before Portugal's next matches in November, that would happen. "If he wants to, as we did before this call-up, we talked before the call-up, we can talk before the next call-up," continued Jesus. "But Cris is the one who's going to decide." Former Real Madrid and Manchester United attacker Ronaldo is Portugal's all-time leading scorer and most-capped player. Jesus said he had told Ronaldo he needed him in the squad for his first games at the helm after replacing Roberto Martinez following the 2026 World Cup. "Cristiano should end his time in the national team the way he wants, he's the one who will decide how he wants it," said Jesus. "That's how we talked, the two of us -- I said, 'I need you'. In my first call-up, I said, 'I need you, I need you to be close to me, playing or not playing, I need you'. And now I'm saying the same thing." Ronaldo, who made his Portugal debut in 2003 at the age of 18, has said this will "probably" be his final year in football. The forward has been a fixture of the national team for more than two decades and has played at six World Cups. In Ronaldo's absence Portugal became the first team to secure a place in the quarter-finals, with two group games still to play. Ronaldo's long-time rival for the title of the world's best player, Lionel Messi, will play his final match for Argentina in a friendly against Benin in Buenos Aires on Tuesday.

Oct 5, 2026

One step back, two steps forward

Thailand ended Việt Nam's record 27-match unbeaten run in Bandung. It may yet prove the most useful defeat of Kim Sang-sik's tenure.

Oct 5, 2026

Messi readies for final farewell in Argentina send-off

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Lionel Messi will bring the curtain down on his glittering Argentina career on Tuesday with a farewell friendly against Benin that marks the dawn of a new era for the South American champions. After more than two decades of service to his country, the 39-year-old superstar will hand over the captain's armband for good as he makes his final appearance in the Albiceleste jersey at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires. Messi will be joined for his international swansong by 85,000 spectators and several of the teammates with whom he reached the pinnacle of football at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, alongside members of Argentina's emerging generation. The friendly marks a symbolic passing of the torch for a player whose international legacy includes a World Cup title, two Copa America crowns and the Finalissima. Messi also bows out as Argentina's record appearance-maker and leading scorer, with 125 goals in 207 games, as well as a record 68 assists. His farewell comes two and a half months after Argentina's ill-tempered World Cup final defeat to Spain in New Jersey, where Messi exited in tears after making little impression. "I gave it my all; I have nothing left to give, and besides, there are great young players coming up who deserve their chance," Messi wrote when announcing his international retirement in August. Messi remains under contract with Inter Miami until 2028, although following the death of his father, Jorge, two months ago, he revealed he may hang up his boots for good sooner than anticipated. Friends reunited Members of Argentina's 2022 World Cup-winning squad -- the players who delivered the country's third star -- and their families will join Messi for Tuesday's farewell against Benin, ranked 93rd in the world. Veterans of that Doha triumph such as Angel Di María, who retired from international football in 2024, will be there to witness the passing of the torch to a new generation charged with extending the Albiceleste's golden era. Several of the newcomers, including Franco Mastantuono and Leonel Flores, were not even born when "La Pulga" ("The Flea") made his Argentina debut in 2005 for a team whose history had for so long been dominated by Diego Maradona. "It's going to be an unforgettable day for everyone. Everyone wants to be at this match, and now it's just about enjoying it," Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said. Argentina's new generation has already shown what it can do without its captain, although nobody is pretending replacing a man regarded by many as the greatest footballer in history will be straightforward. "Collectively, we will try to fill the void left by Leo," said Scaloni, who is negotiating a contract extension after leaving his future unresolved following the World Cup defeat in July. Scaloni, who mastered the art of building the right supporting cast around Messi, will also say goodbye on Tuesday to 38-year-old vice-captain Nicolas Otamendi. Like Messi and Otamendi, midfielders Rodrigo De Paul and Giovani Lo Celso were called up solely for the Benin game, raising the possibility that neither will represent Argentina again. New generation Those certain to be involved, at least from the bench, include other veterans of the 2022 World Cup who will be the standard-bearers for Argentina after Messi: defender Cristian Romero, midfielders Alexis Mac Allister and Enzo Fernandez, and forwards Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez. Tenacious centre-back Romero is set to inherit the captain's armband, first worn by Messi at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and Lautaro Martinez are next in the captaincy hierarchy. They have already begun to rally around Messi's heirs, who showed their appetite for success in Argentina's first game since the World Cup final, against Bolivia in Cordoba on Wednesday. Argentina swept the Bolivians aside 4-0, with young talents Nico Paz and Jose Manuel Lopez among the scorers. They followed that victory with a 7-0 rout of Burkina Faso at the Monumental on Saturday, with Mastantuono and Gianluca Prestianni scoring their first international goals. While Argentina's future is beginning to take shape, one small but symbolically significant question remains: who inherits Messi's number 10 shirt? "We won't give the number 10 to anyone until Leo's match takes place," Scaloni said. "After that, we'll see."

Oct 5, 2026

IPL stars dominate India’s Hong Kong Cricket Sixes squad

The Hong Kong Cricket Sixes is set for a “quantum leap forward” after headliners India announced a squad for this year’s tournament composed almost exclusively of players who competed in the 2026 Indian Premier League. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, a veteran of 229 international appearances, will captain a side that also features his Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) teammate, and fellow reigning Indian Premier League (IPL) champion, Krunal Pandya, as well as the former India all-format bowler Thangarasu...

Oct 5, 2026

Despite logistical problems, world records prove Asian Games were a hit, says top official

The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) said ⁠that a near 20 per cent jump ⁠in revenue, strong viewership figures and ⁠a slew of world records proved the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games were a success, despite logistical problems plaguing the multi-sport showpiece. The Games saw a catalogue of mishaps, from athletes bused to the wrong venues to the North Korean national anthem being played for the South Korean hockey team. There were not enough beds for the more than 17,000 athletes and officials, a larger...

Oct 4, 2026

Alex Eala takes act to Wuhan

LOOKING to shake off the pain of absorbing upset losses, Filipino tennis ace Alexandra “Alex” Eala will take her act to the WTA 1000 Wuhan slated from Oct. 12 to 18 in China. Favored to win the gold medal at the 20th Asian Games in Japan, world No. 18 Eala settled for bronze after falling to No. 85 and eventual champ Wang Xiyu in the semifinals, 6-3, 3-6, 2-6. The defeat came just a week after Eala also lost to a much lower-ranked player, No. 180 Tatiana Prozorova at the 500 Singapore Open round of 16, 6-4, 5-7, 3-6. That is a rough start to the Asian Swing for Eala — one she looks to put behind as she returns to the Tour after skipping the China Open for the Asiad. As a top 32 player, Eala will have a first-round bye anew in the star-studded tournament. The current top 10 in the rankings are competing in the meet. World No. 1 Elena Rybakina, No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka, No. 3 Jessica Pegula, No. 4 Coco Gauff, No. 5 Mirra Andreeva, No. 6 Linda Noskova, No. 7 Elina Svitolina, No. 8 Karolina Muchova, No. 9 Iga Swiatek, and No. 10 Marta Kostyuk will be there to stand in Eala’s way. Other high-profile players including world No. 12 Belinda Bencic, No. 13 Iva Jovic, No. 14 Diana Shnaider, No. 16 Sorana Cirstea, No. 17 Naomi Osaka, No. 19 Elise Mertens, No. 20 Jasmine Paolini, and No. 21 Maja Chwalinksa are also set to compete. The other listed players are world No. 22 Anna Kalinskaya, No. 26 Leylah Fernandez, No. 27 Marie Bouzkova, world No. 28 Ekaterina Alexandrova, No. 29 Sara Bejlek, No. 30 Ann Li, No. 32 Jelena Ostapeko, No. 34 Nikola Bartunkova, No. 35 Cristina Bucsa, No. 43 Barbora Krejcikova, No. 47 Oleksandra Oliynykova, No. 50 Anhelina Kalinina, and No. 53 Tamara Korpatsch. The Wuhan Open will be Eala’s first 1000 tournament since the Cincinnati Open last August. Eala reached the third round in Cincinnati where she fell to world No. 11 Amanda Anisimova, 6-4, 4-6, 2-6.

Tiu: Earlington fits Phoenix’s needs

Oct 4, 2026

PHOENIX coach Charles Tiu believes incoming new import Marcellus Earlington provides what the team needs as the Fuel Masters step up their playoff drive when the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup resumes on Oct. 7. The long break saw Phoenix let go of original import BJ Johnson, who went on to sign with Parma BC in the Russian pro league. The 30-year-old Johnson logged in do-it-all numbers of 30.71 points, 9.57 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 3.0 steals, and 2.0 blocks per game to help Phoenix register a 4-3 record for joint second to third spots in Group B before the league went on a two-month break. The conference break though was a blessing in disguise as the Fuel Masters had time to find Johnson’s replacement in Earlington. “He’s doing alright,” Tiu said, in describing Earlington, who played college basketball for St. John’s and San Diego. “He is an inside player and gives us more balance against having another wing player.” The 26-year-old Earlington averaged solid numbers of 22.1 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists for Ironi Nahariya in the Israeli National league. The American reinforcement played for the Fuel Masters, who dropped a narrow 83-80 decision to Mongolian squad Omni Erdenet Miners recently in their friendly game at Activate Hoop Arena in Mandaluyong City. Tiu said they’ve been working on playing solid defense as a team, knowing that playoff-bound squads do more than just outscore its opponents. “We need to defend better, play together and find a way to show that we really are a playoff team,” stressed Tiu, whose team tries to improve on its quarterfinal finish from the Commissioner’s Cup. “We have a very tough schedule against everyone fighting for the playoffs so we need to show that we belong,” he added. Phoenix won’t see action till Oct. 16 when Tiu’s charges battle Meralco at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.