Alas men seek long-term system overhaul

Manila Times - Oct 4, 2026

THE Alas Pilipinas Men concluded their campaign at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 in 13th place out of 16 nations. While returning home with just two victories, the squad leaves with invaluable international experience and a clear roadmap for the program’s future. Alas secured its first on-court win on Friday with a four-set victory over Uzbekistan (25-19, 25-15, 23-25, 25-17), followed by a victory by default against Kyrgyzstan on Saturday, Oct. 3. Despite a short preparation window, the team showed flashes of strong play throughout the tournament, holding their own in the preliminary round against powerhouse China and putting up spirited fights against Taiwan and Indonesia. Alas team manager Ronwald Dimaculangan highlighted limited practice time as the main obstacle to stronger results. “Preparation — specifically dedicated training camps — is essential for better results, but we’re still glad to secure a win at the Asian Games,” said Dimaculangan, who also serves as the head coach for the University of the East in the UAAP. To bridge the gap with the region’s top programs, Dimaculangan emphasized the need for a comprehensive development pipeline. “We need to identify talent early and bring in coaches who have proven experience at the international level,” Dimaculangan noted. “The goal is to...

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Sabalenka knocked out of China Open

Oct 4, 2026

Sabalenka knocked out of China Open

BEIJING — Second-ranked Aryna Sabalenka was bundled out in the third round of the China Open in straight sets by the Czech Republic's Nikola Bartunkova on Sunday. The No. 34-ranked Bartunkova defeated the four-time Grand Slam champion 6-4, 6-3 in just over an hour and a half leaving the tournament without its two top seeds in the first week. Newly-crowned world No. 1 Elena Rybakina was ousted from the tournament on Saturday and will now be joined by Sabalenka in exiting WTA-1000 event in Beijing early. Sabalenka, who was denied a three-peat at the US Open last month by Rybakina, squandered five break points in the first set as her historic struggles in Beijing continued. The 28-year-old Belorussian has never progressed past the quarterfinals at the event. “First of all, I focused on myself, to be calm,” Bartunkova said. “And Aryna, she’s great, she’s a legend, she’s a Grand Slam champion. So, yeah, I’m really happy that I won the match... I’m not a girl who celebrates too much.” Bartunkova will next play 24-year-old Sinja Kraus of Austria, who earlier defeated Dayana Yastremska 6-1, 6-4. Fifth-ranked Mirra Andreeva eased into the fourth round with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Polina Kudermetova. This year's French Open winner fired six aces and took five of her seven break point opportunities to overwhelm her Uzbek opponent in just in 68 minutes. In the men’s tournament, Hubert Hurkacz beat Karen Khachanov 7-6 (2) 6-2 to make the final four. Later Sunday, top seed and U.S. Open champion Alexander Zverev plays his quarterfinal match against Novak Djokovic.