Alexandra Eala is yet to blink at the 2026 Asian Games.
The Filipina star advanced to the women’s singles quarter-finals on Monday after defeating Thailand’s Patcharin Cheapchandej 6-1, 6-0 in 55 minutes.
Eala and fellow Filipina Shaira Rivera booked their spot in the women’s doubles quarter-finals on Tuesday after overcoming the challenge of Hong Kong duo Ching Laam Lai and Kallista Liu.
How concerned are you about Alex Eala’s form indoors? 😬
Eala has chosen to participate in the Asian Games, despite the possibility of a WTA fine for skipping the mandatory WTA 1000 China Open.
By not participating in Beijing, Eala has also ended her chances of qualifying for the WTA’s prestigious end-of-year event.
Alex Eala cannot qualify for the WTA Finals after skipping the China Open
Prior to the China Open, Eala had a small chance of qualifying for the WTA Finals.
Her slim hopes of qualifying for the end-of-year event have now been extinguished following her withdrawal from the China Open.
Eala currently trails Linda Noskova in the eighth qualifying position by 2,063 points, and with the cutoff date for qualification occurring at the end of week 43 [November 1], Eala can now no longer mathematically qualify for the WTA Finals.
The maximum points Eala can gain between now and the cutoff date is 2,000.
The live WTA Finals race
- 8: Linda Noskova – 4244
- 9: Marta Kostyuk – 3910
- 10: Iga Swiatek – 3594
- 11: Iva Jovic – 2731
- 12: Victoria Mboko – 2393
- 13: Sorana Cirstea – 2390 [can no longer qualify]
- 14: Diana Shnaider – 2353
- 15: Naomi Osaka – 2187
- 16: Alexandra Eala – 2181 [can no longer qualify]
Of course, the WTA Finals will be the least prominent of Eala’s concerns at this current moment. After all, she is seeking to win multiple gold medals at the Asian Games.
Four years earlier, Eala fell just short of doing so. At the 2022 Asian Games, Eala won a bronze medal in the women’s singles and mixed doubles events.
Eala did not compete in the women’s doubles event at the 2022 Games.
Who can still qualify for the WTA Finals?
A number of players still have a chance of qualifying for the WTA Finals.
Naomi Osaka, a four-time major champion, is quite possibly the most prominent name with a chance of qualifying.
How do players qualify for the WTA Finals?
- The top seven players on the Race Leaderboard qualify for the WTA Finals.
- The highest-ranked current-year Grand Slam winner who is ranked 8–20 and not already qualified, also qualifies for the finals.
- If no such Grand Slam winner exists, the next highest-ranked player who is ranked eighth or lower will qualify.
Unfortunately for Osaka’s fans, her chances are slim. She is currently 15th in the race and will need to perform exceptionally well to stand any chance of finishing within the top seven.
Iva Jovic, Jelena Ostapenko and Belinda Bencic are just some of the other names who also have a shot at qualifying.
As things stand, only Elena Rybakina, Aryna Sabalenka and Linda Noskova have qualified for the end-of-year competition.
