PASAY CITY, Philippines — Tennis star Alex Eala will avoid sanctions from the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) after choosing to represent the Philippines at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, instead of playing in the ongoing WTA 1000 China Open.
Philippine Tennis Association (Philta) executive director Tonette Mendoza shared the update on Thursday, October 8, during a hearing before the Senate Committee on Sports.
“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, because they reduce the [penalty],” Mendoza said.
“Thank you po sa gobyerno, kasi it really went out that the government was opposing it. I think na-pressure everybody that they cannot impose a fine on a person who wants to represent the country,” she added.
Under standard mandatory participation policies for top 30 or 50 ranked athletes, Eala was obligated to play in WTA 1000 events. Skipping the China Open initially put her at risk of a $10,000 fine and restrictions on earning ranking points. However, the women’s tour governing body acknowledged her aim to secure an automatic berth for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics through the regional meet.
“From the beginning, first we asked Alex if she was willing to join and she made a decision on her own that she wanted to represent the country, so we asked the WTA if they could waive any of the penalties that may be imposed on her,” Mendoza said.
“So, the WTA just asked us a few questions if she made the decision on her own… to which we said yes and it’s an Olympic qualifier, then they just never got back to us,” she added.
Mendoza revealed that the WTA recently established a new policy offering roster protection for athletes who choose to suit up for their home countries in continental, regional, and global competitions over tour events.
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) also backed the Filipina prodigy’s national stint during a recent meeting with local officials.
“I met with them last week [and] they were very supportive of players representing their country and skipping a mandatory tournament,” Mendoza stressed.
Eala is currently taking a short break before returning to action at the WTA 1000 Wuhan Open in China, set for October 12 to 18.