Eala escapes WTA penalty

Mendoza said Philta had contacted the WTA to clarify the rules and ask whether it could waive any possible sanctions after Eala chose to compete for the Philippines. “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.

Philta answered yes to both questions, she said, but the WTA did not respond afterward. Mendoza said Philta interpreted the WTA rules as targeting players who skip mandatory tournaments to compete in exhibition matches, rather than those who represent their countries. “Reading the rules of the WTA, the penalties and whatever points when you miss the mandatory tournament are 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 and received support for athletes who compete for their countries. “They were very supportive of players representing the country,” she said.

According to Mendoza, the WTA also introduced new rules late last week covering players who want to represent their countries. She credited the Philippine government’s opposition to a possible sanction as another factor that may have helped Eala avoid a penalty. “Thank you po sa gobyerno (Thanks to the government); 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, meanwhile, won bronze in her second consecutive Asian Games appearance after losing in the semifinals to Wang Xiyu of China. Wang went on to win gold and secured direct qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. FROM THE WIRES