WTA Rule II. A. 1: “All players who are accepted into the Main Draw of a WTA 1000 Mandatory Tournament as a direct acceptance must play that WTA 1000 Mandatory Tournament. A player will receive a zero (0) ranking point result for each Commitment Tournament she does not play, which must count on her WTA Singles Ranking (see Section VIII – WTA Ranking System).”

It is said that rules are for everybody, and nobody is above them. But what happens when some rules take away a player’s opportunity to represent her country and to become the type of athlete she wants to be? For Alexandra Eala, the decision to play for the Philippines at the Asian Games over the China Open was tough, but not impossible. However, as she faces a possible fine of $10,000 and zero ranking points, her rivals are forced to question WTA’s rules.

“They do approve a lot of exemptions,” Jessica Pegula said on the Player’s Box podcast yesterday. “It’s just under the rule book they will be issued the fine, and then they can always appeal, and a lot of them do get appealed. It’s not like 100% for sure.”

WTA pro Desirae Krawczyk expressed a similar sentiment, highlighting why Eala is prioritizing the Asian Games over the China Open.

“She’s representing her country for the Asian Games, and that’s not every year, whereas the China Open is every year, in my opinion,” she stated.

However, what Eala said about the decision made much more sense.

Eala responds to the choice between the Asian Games and the China Open

While Eala got a bye for the first round, the Asian Games began September 27. Meanwhile, the China Open in Beijing was set to begin September 30. Considering that she could’ve only attended one of the events, she chose the one that would get her to her role as a tennis athlete.

“It was a decision I didn’t take lightly,” Eala told SNTV after winning her second-round match at the Asian Games. “Of course it’s difficult to miss out on a 1000, especially Beijing, where I’ve heard so many great things about the tournament and I have yet to go. But I know there will be many chances to go back and I’m really excited to be here, to represent my country and to compete.”

But there’s another important reason why this decision matters.

Eala made a strong start to her Asian Games campaign. In the Round of 16, the world No. 18 took on Thailand’s Patcharin Cheapchandej and required just 55 minutes to seal a comfortable 6-1, 6-0 victory. Then, she took on Chinese Taipei’s Joanna Garland (143rd-ranked) and won 7-5, 6-0 in two hours to reach the semi-finals. She is touted to win the event, which gives her an automatic entry to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

The Filipina also made a winning start to her women’s doubles campaign at the Asian Games. With partner Shaira Rivera, she racked up a dominant 6-1, 6-3 win over Hong Kong’s Ching Laam Lai and Kallista Liu. In the second round, however, the duo lost 5-7, 2-6 to China’s Xinyu Jiang and Zhaoxuan Yang.

With players like Naomi Osaka and Qinwen Zheng not participating in the event, Eala has emerged as the top candidate for Gold. Eala does have experience of winning gold at the Asian Games. She won bronze in both the singles and mixed doubles draws in 2023.

While she could have gained a lot of points in the rankings by putting in a solid effort in Beijing, she chose to represent her country instead. Eala is expected to return to the Tour with the Wuhan Open, set to begin on October 12. What’s interesting is that many are speaking up in favor of Eala playing for her country and bashing WTA’s rules.

Tennis podcast host was completely against Alexandra Eala’s fine

Chris Kneebone, the host of the Tennis Weekly Podcast, believes that the whole situation doesn’t paint the WTA in a good way. According to him, Eala shouldn’t be fined just for representing her country on the international stage.

“It’s not a good look for the WTA. I do not like that,” Kneebone said on the podcast. “I also think when she’s such a great ambassador for the game, and it is an event like this, it should be on a case-by-case basis. You shouldn’t be giving people a fine for playing for their country.”

He also compared Eala’s fine to the sanctions that Aryna Sabalenka received after her on-court actions at the US Open final.

The outburst saw the Belarusian break her racket and even curse at the on-court camera after her defeat to Elena Rybakina. Despite committing multiple offences, she was only handed a fine of $7,500.

“That fine is bigger than what Sabalenka got for her US Open outburst. So it’s a big fine as far as these things go. It could also mean that you’d be docked some ranking points, because a mandatory would be missing from your mandatory tournaments that you have to play. So I don’t like it, and I think it’s not a good precedent. I’m team Eala on this one,” he added.

It is safe to say that there will be an outcry if Eala is handed the $10,000 fine. For now, she will focus on her upcoming semifinals clash at the Asian Games.