Alex Eala received a financial reward to go alongside her bronze medal for the Asian Games this year.
Eala skipped the China Open, at risk of a fine, to represent the Philippines at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan.
The world number 18 was the top seed in the women’s singles draw and was bidding for the gold medal, but Eala was beaten in the semi-finals by eventual gold medallist Xiyu Wang. As a result, Eala ended up with a bronze medal, the same result she achieved at the 2022 Asian Games.
While there is no official prize money for tennis players at the Asian Games, it has now been confirmed that Eala has been rewarded for her bronze medal.
Which Grand Slam event is Alexandra Eala most likely to win? 🤔
Alex Eala’s Asian Games earning confirmed after bronze medal win
Eala’s Asian Games was discussed by former Wimbledon semi-finalist Alexandra Stevenson in the latest edition of her podcast.
In this podcast, Stevenson reported that while players do not receive prize money at the Asian Games, a number of countries’ federations incentivise their athletes financially. In the case of the Philippine Sports Commission, Stevenson reported the different figures players would receive for each medal, as she revealed that Eala would have earned 400,000 Philippine pesos for her bronze.
“Athletes do not receive direct cash prize money from the Olympic council of Asia for winning medals at the Asian Games,” said Stevenson. “While the organisers do not offer a prize purse, many participating countries reward their medallists with substantial government-backed financial incentives.
“For the Philippines, gold medallists receive two million in Filipino money (Philippine pesos), silver medallists receive one million in Filipino money, and bronze medallists receive 400,000 through the Philippine sports commission.”
The 400,000 Philippine pesos Eala has earned is approximately equivalent to $6,378.77. This is significant, as it was reported that Eala could have been fined up to $10,000 for skipping the China Open this year, so she has now cancelled out some of that potential fine.
When is Alex Eala playing next?
Eala will look to move on from any disappointment she had from the Asian Games at her next tournament, which is the Wuhan Open.
This is a tournament where Eala has never won a match before, either in the main draw or qualifying, which is something she will be hoping to change at this year’s tournament.
Last year, Eala lost in the first round of qualifying, but will be one of the seeded players in the main draw this year, showing just how far she has come within the space of a year.
| Alex Eala’s result at the Wuhan Open | |
| 2024 | First Round – Lost to Katerina Siniakova |
| 2025 | First Qualifying Round – Lost to Moyuka Uchijima |
The main draw of the 2026 Wuhan Open will get underway on Monday, October 12, as the final WTA 1000 tournament of the season.
This is one of a number of events Eala has entered before the end of the year, as she looks to improve on her career-high ranking of world number 18.
