Alex Eala is putting national duty ahead of a mandatory WTA 1000 tournament as she prepares to represent the Philippines at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
Philippine Olympic Committee President Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, in a press release Tuesday, September 15, 2026, praised Eala’s decision, saying the 21-year-old tennis star is willing to risk possible sanctions to play for the country.
“We can always say that Alex Eala is giving back to her country, to the Filipinos who support her in the country and wherever she competes; they have amazingly established that global ‘Eala Mania,’” Tolentino said.
“The WTA has its rules and breaking the rules has penalties,” he said. “But Alex will be in Nagoya, for flag and country.”
Eala, currently ranked No. 18 in the world, is skipping the China Open in Beijing, a mandatory WTA 1000 tournament scheduled for Sept. 30 to Oct. 11. The decision allows her to compete in the Asian Games tennis competition, which runs Sept. 27 to Oct. 3 at the Higashiyama Park Tennis Center in Nagoya.
The scheduling clash puts Eala in a difficult position because top-ranked players are generally required to compete in mandatory WTA 1000 events. Players who withdraw from such tournaments without an approved exemption can face ranking-point and financial penalties.
Eala's decision comes with a potential cost. The China Open is one of the biggest events remaining on the WTA calendar, and Eala's No. 18 ranking makes her eligible for automatic entry.
However, no penalty or fine has been imposed on Eala as of Sept. 15. The Philippine Tennis Association (Philta) has formally asked the WTA to exempt her because she will represent the Philippines at the Asian Games. The request remains under review.
Eala's case gained greater urgency after Indonesia's Janice Tjen was denied a similar exemption and withdrew from the Asian Games. Tjen, ranked in the mid-30s, had sought permission to compete in the Games despite their overlap with the China Open.
The outcome of Eala's exemption request could affect her push toward the world’s top 10. A zero-point penalty for a mandatory event would affect her ranking, while the WTA could also impose a fine depending on its decision.
The China Open has attracted 18 of the world’s top 20 players, with Eala and injured No. 15 Victoria Mboko among the top-20 players not entered.
Eala is also scheduled to compete in the Singapore Open, a WTA 500 tournament, from Sept. 21-27 before joining the Philippine delegation in Nagoya.
Her decision to prioritize the Asian Games comes as the Philippines seeks another strong showing from its top women’s tennis player.
Eala won a bronze medal at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, finishing behind China’s Qinwen Zheng and Zhu Lin. Zheng, the reigning Olympic champion and Hangzhou Asian Games gold medalist, and Wang Xinyu, a Paris Olympics mixed-doubles silver medalist, are not competing in Nagoya.
For Tolentino, Eala’s decision is ultimately about representing the country.
“We can always say that Alex Eala is giving back to her country,” he said. “But Alex will be in Nagoya for the flag and the country.” PR/FROM THE WIRES
