Alexandra Eala will be playing at the Asian Games later this month regardless of any potential penalty she receives from the WTA for doing so, according to her country’s tennis federation.

The world No.18 is set to headline the tennis event at the Games, which will be held in Japan. It is scheduled to begin on September 27th and will take place at the same time as the China Open. Under current WTA rules, players ranked in the top 30 must enter and compete in all WTA 1000 events, including the China Open.

Players who miss mandatory events without having a valid reason (such as injury) face the prospect of getting a zero-pointer, which will be part of their 18-tournament results that dictate their ranking over a 12-month period. They also face a fine of up to $10,000.

The Philippine Tennis Association (PhilTA) has appealed to the WTA for an exception on the grounds of national duty. A decision is still pending, but the association says she will play no matter what.

“Alex will definitely play at the Asian Games regardless of the WTA decision,” Philta Executive Director Tonette Mendoza said in a press release.

Furthermore, the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) has also insisted she will compete in the Games. The Asian Games have been held in the region every four years since 1951. In 2022, the men’s and women’s singles champions were Zhang Zhizhen and Zheng Qinwen.

“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 Tolentino said.

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

Politicians have also joined the appeal for Eala not to be penalised for tasking.

“I join the Philippine Tennis Association in respectfully appealing to the WTA to consider the exceptional circumstances of Alex’s case and grant her the requested exemption from any penalty or sanction,” Senator Bong Go, Chairman of the Committee on Sports, said earlier this week.

The chances of Eala escaping a zero-pointer appear to be very low after an appeal on behalf of another player was rejected. Indonesia’s Janice Tjen has confirmed she will not be playing in the Asian Games to prevent any negative impact on her ranking heading into next year’s Australian Open.

In Tjen’s case, the Indonesian Tennis Association (Pelti) said the only compromise it could reach with the WTA if she played at the Games was a reduction in the fine she would have received. Pelti General Secretary Andi Fajar previously held talks with the ITF and WTA on the matter.

“After a lot of consideration, I’ve had to make the difficult decision that I won’t be able to compete at the Asian Games this year, which take place at the same time as the mandatory WTA 1000 event in Beijing,” Tjen said in a statement last week.

“We have received confirmation from the WTA that, unfortunately, I have not been granted an exemption to compete at the Asian Games.”

The tennis event will be held at the Higashiyama Park Tennis Centre in Nagoya.