AICHI-NAGOYA — Alex Eala is now expected to avoid a $10,000 fine for skipping the mandatory China Open to represent the Philippines at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. The 22-year-old won a bronze medal in singles, losing to eventual champion Wang Xiyu in the semi-finals, and exited in the second round of the doubles alongside Shaira Rivera.
Philippine Tennis Association executive Tonette Mendoza has implied the WTA will not penalise Eala, as reported by Spin.ph, after the governing body sought clarification on the decision. "I think the government pressured everybody so that they cannot now impose a fine on a person who wants to represent the country. Late last week also, the WTA just passed new rules for the following year, which I think will help all the players wanting to represent their country," Mendoza said.
"From the beginning, first we asked Alex [Eala] if she was willing to join. She made a decision on her own that she wanted to represent the country. So we asked the WTA if they could waive any penalties that they may impose on her," Mendoza added. "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. She made a decision on her own, and it's an Olympic qualifier. Then they just never got back to us."
Eala missed out on the Asian Games gold medal that would have secured Olympic qualification, though she could still qualify at a later date. With the controversy now appearing to be resolved, attention turns to the final stretch of her 2026 WTA Tour season.
Eala, who won her first WTA title earlier this year at the Washington Open but has yet to win a title above WTA 500 level, will next contest the Wuhan Open. The tournament begins on 12 October at the Optics Valley International Tennis Centre, where she will be seeded 13th and will not receive a bye into the second round, with only the top eight seeds advancing automatically in the smaller WTA 1000 draw. Several leading names — Elena Rybakina, Coco Gauff, Naomi Osaka and Amanda Anisimova — will miss the event through injury or fatigue, leaving a more open field.