Alex Eala escaped a possible US$10,000 (roughly ₱630,000) WTA fine after skipping the mandatory China Open to represent the Philippines at the 2026 Asian Games, where she won bronze.
Philippine Tennis Association executive director Tonette Mendoza told the Senate Committee on Sports on October 8 that no penalty had been imposed on the 21-year-old for missing the WTA 1000 event in Beijing.
Sen. Bong Go, the committee chair, asked whether Eala had been sanctioned. Mendoza shook her head.
Philippine Tennis Association had requested an exemption after Eala independently chose to compete in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. The Asian Games offered singles champions a conditional qualification route to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
“So the WTA just asked us a few questions if she made the decision on her own, meaning it was not under pressure from anybody in the government or national federation, if it is an Olympic qualifier for our country, to which we said yes,” Mendoza said.
She said the WTA never replied afterward. No formal exemption was announced.
Mendoza argued that mandatory-event penalties primarily concern players who skip tournaments for exhibitions.
“It’s silent on representing the country,” she said.
She also said International Tennis Federation representatives supported players prioritizing national-team commitments.
Eala claimed her second consecutive Asian Games singles bronze after losing to China’s Wang Xiyu in the semifinals on October 1. Wang subsequently won gold.
Separately, the WTA approved a one-year pilot for 2027 cutting required WTA 500 appearances for top-50 singles players from six to four. Players may also replace one eligible WTA 1000 ranking result with a stronger WTA 500 or 250 result.
Eala was projected as the No. 13 seed for the Wuhan Open starting October 12. Its 56-player draw grants first-round byes only to the top eight seeds.
