Eala’s federation says she will play the Asian Games regardless of the WTA’s decision on her camp’s request to skip the China Open. Steve Johnson opposed a fine; John Isner urged the WTA to waive the fine and zero-point penalty for missing it without a medical reason.
The zero-point penalty would replace Eala’s 18th result for a year, with her ranking based on her 17 best tour results. The article says skipping without a medical reason would also bring a sizeable fine.
The report says the WTA has no precedent for allowing players to miss mandatory tournaments for national events, other than the Billie Jean King Cup and Olympics. At this year’s Asian Games, it did not grant Indonesian player Janice Tjen a special exemption, and she withdrew to avoid the penalty. Philippine Sports Commission chairman Patrick Gregorio publicly pledged support for Eala.
