POC lauds Alex Eala's patriotism in choosing Asian Games over China Open

The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) lauded Alexandra "Alex" Eala for putting the country ahead of individual commitments after the Filipino tennis star chose to compete in the Asian Games instead of the China Open.

The 21-year-old Filipina will don the national colors in the Asiad, where she is aiming to capture the gold medal and potentially punch her ticket to the Olympics at the same time.

But Eala’s decision to prioritize the Asian Games could come at a cost, with the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) barring top-ranked players from competing in a non-WTA event during the same period as a mandatory WTA tournament.

READ MORE | Why Alex Eala could be sanctioned for skipping China Open for Asian Games

The Asian Games will coincide with the China Open, a prestigious WTA 1000 event that is expected to feature the likes of several Asian stars in new world No. 1 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan and Japanese star Naomi Osaka.

“We can always say that Alex Eala is giving back to her country, to the support Filipinos in the country and where ever she competes, they have amazingly established that global 'Eala Mania,'" POC president Abraham "Bambol" Tolentino said.

“The WTA has its rules and breaking the rules has penalties. But Alex will be in Nagoya, for flag and country.”

By choosing to compete in the Asian Games, world No. 18 Eala is set to face sanctions, including zero ranking points from the China Open, which could affect her standing in the global rankings, as well as a monetary fine.

Janice Tjen of Indonesia recently announced that she would miss the Asian Games as she was not granted an exemption by the WTA.

—JMB, GMA News