Rain was the hardest part of Alex Eala‘s Asian Games debut on Monday. Her match was set for center court at Nagoya’s Higashiyama Park Tennis Center, in front of fans. Instead, the weather held it up for about five hours and moved it twice: first to the show court, then indoors to Court C, a court normally used for practice. Once play started, it was over quickly. Eala beat Thailand’s Patcharin Cheapchandej 6-1, 6-0 in 55 minutes and closed the match with an ace. A Practice Court for the Player Who Gave Up Beijing The Asian Games, Asia’s largest multi-sport event, comes around every four years, and playing this one cost Eala something. It overlaps with the China Open in Beijing, a WTA 1000 event, the tier just below the four majors that top-ranked players are required to enter. Skipping it could get her fined or docked ranking points by the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association), a trade-off ElysPlanet covered when she made the call. The Philippine Tennis Association (PHILTA) put it simply: “She chose to …