MANILA, Philippines — Alex Eala is set to return to China for the Wuhan Open following her Asian Games campaign in Japan.
Eala, currently ranked No. 18 in the world, is included in the initial list of players for the WTA 1000 tournament scheduled for October 12-18.
The 21-year-old Filipina skipped the China Open in Beijing, which runs from September 30 to October 11, to represent the Philippines at the Asian Games in Nagoya from September 27 to October 3.
The Wuhan Open will be Eala’s next scheduled WTA 1000 tournament after the Asian Games and will give her another opportunity to earn ranking points.
Eala was among the first 20 players announced for the Wuhan tournament, alongside newly crowned US Open champion and world No. 1 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan.
Other top-ranked players included world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, No. 3 Jessica Pegula and No. 4 Coco Gauff of the United States, and No. 5 Mirra Andreeva of Russia.
A total of 48 players from the current top 50 are listed for the Wuhan Open.
Eala is coming off a third-round appearance at the US Open. At the Asian Games in Nagoya, she is scheduled to compete in women’s singles and doubles as she seeks an Asian Games gold medal.
The Filipina previously won bronze medals in women’s singles and mixed doubles at the 2022 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China.
Her decision to skip the China Open could result in a $10,000 fine from the WTA because the Beijing tournament is a mandatory WTA 1000 event.
The Philippine Tennis Association (PHILTA) has submitted a request for an exemption waiver on Eala’s behalf, but the WTA has yet to respond.
Before heading to Nagoya, Eala is expected to compete as the No. 3 seed at the WTA 500 Singapore Open from September 21 to 27, where she has received a first-round bye.
Pegula withdrew from the Singapore tournament following her run to the US Open semifinals, resulting in Eala moving up in the seeding. Andreeva and Amanda Anisimova are the top two seeds.
