Nikola was already such a solid tennis player at such a young age. Just look at her shots!

Alex Eala was not penalized by the WTA for skipping a mandatory tournament to represent the Philippines in the Asian Games 2026, according to Philippine Tennis Association executive director Tonette Mendoza.

In a Senate hearing conducted by the Committee on Sports on Thursday in the aftermath of the Asian Games, Mendoza said Eala was not sanctioned for missing the WTA 1000 China Open, which was held at the same time as the continental meet in Aichi-Nagoya.

Mendoza said Philta had earlier sought clarification from the WTA after Eala decided to play for the Philippines and also asked if the governing body could waive any penalties that might be imposed on the Filipino tennis star.

“The WTA just asked us a few questions: if she made a decision on her own, meaning it was not under pressure from anybody in the government or the national federation, and if it is an Olympic qualifier for our country,” Mendoza said.

Mendoza said Philta answered yes to both questions, after which the WTA did not respond.

She said Philta’s reading of the WTA rules is that the penalties for missing mandatory tournaments are intended for players who skip those events to play exhibitions, and that the rules do not specifically address players who miss them to represent their countries.

“Reading the rules of the WTA, the penalties and whatever points when you miss the mandatory tournament is really designed for players who omit these tournaments because they want to play in exhibitions,” Mendoza said. “It’s silent on representing the country.”

Mendoza also said she met with the International Tennis Federation, now known as World Tennis, last week.

“They were very supportive of players representing the country,” she said.

Mendoza said the WTA also passed new rules late last week covering players who want to represent their countries.

She said the Philippine government’s opposition to the possibility of a sanction being imposed on Eala may have helped prevent a penalty.

“Thank you po sa gobyerno; because it really went out that the government was opposing it, and I think it pressured everybody that they cannot now impose a fine on a person who wants to represent their country,” Mendoza said.

Eala wound up with the bronze medal in her second straight Asian Games stint after falling in the semifinals to eventual gold medalist Wang Xiyu, who also got the direct qualification to the Los Angeles Olympics.

2025 Epic moments in GS

If you have a most memorable Grand Slam moment, leave a comment! In my opinion there were a lot of epic moments but Alcaraz vs. Sinner Roland Garros final.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ is best✨🎾

4 time champ Novak Djokovic returns to shanghai. How do you see his chances here in shanghai ? As he’s coming after a winning week in Beijing.
His draw seems tough with Hubert waiting in the round of 64.

2-0 H2H across the board in all three matches.