Alexandra Eala won an extra sensational victory at the WTA 500 Washington, D.C. tournament, beating Jessica Pegula of the US, 4-6, 6-4, 6-0, in a fashion that has made her the talk of the tennis world.

Some quarters, however, have given political meaning to the color of her tennis outfit. Green, they said, therefore it must mean something. That is childish impertinence. And it is also embarrassing.

Let us settle this once and for all so we can go back to watching the jewel of our eye, a 21-year-old Filipina, take the Philippines onto the tennis world stage.

Who chooses the outfit? While I did play tennis for a couple of years, I did not get hooked on it or bother about tennis outfits, colors, or brands. It was just between me and a hand-me-down racket from a friend.

So as to make sense in this piece, I did some research.

In WTA tournaments — that’s the Women’s Tennis Association tour — and Grand Slams, the apparel sponsor chooses the togs in consultation with the athlete. Our Alex is with Nike. Months before tennis tournaments are scheduled Nike designs appropriate seasonal patterns at its headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon.

This year’s line includes a volt-vibrant, neon yellow-green color. If you’ve been following the WTA tourneys some players wear this color, not only Alex.

So for those who are so pregnant with politics, you can rest assured there was no memo from Malacañang. There was no directive from any political party — just a design team in Oregon and a calendar of tennis tournaments.

In international sports events involving the Philippines, the process is different. For the SEA Games, Asian Games, and the Olympics, the Philippine Olympic Committee, including the Philippine Tennis Association (Philta), together with the organizers, have a say.

Filipino athletes wear blue, red, yellow and white, the symbols of the country. Alex, should she play for the Philippines, must wear the prescribed outfit.

What also got the goat of incorrigible political characters is that even the balls used in WTA games are green. And here’s the irony. The tennis balls used in many WTA tournaments are made right here in the Philippines. In Bataan. And yes, they are optic yellow-green. Obviously for visibility on the court and on TV.

If the yellows, pinklawans, and reds are freaking out because Eala and the Filipino spectators wear green, can we say the factory in Bataan is making a political statement, too? Apparently, the color matches the almost daily wear of VP Sara Duterte when she reaches out to people in the boondocks.

It never occurred to me that people could be so allergic to green. If we go by their tantrums, tennis outfits, balls, and caps are all suspect. At this rate, they’ll ban the color green from the Philippines next.

Cool it, guys. Alexandra Eala is an athlete. Her job is to hit forehands, not to manage your color-coded anxieties.

She is 21. She left home at 13 to train in Spain. She won the US Open juniors. She is now breaking into the WTA Top 100. She carries the Philippine flag every time she steps on court, regardless of whether her shirt is green, black, or neon.

The last time we checked, patriotism is not measured by any shade of color or political party.

If you are desperate to find politics, look at policy. Look at funding for grassroots tennis. Look at courts in the provinces. Look at why we have only one Alex. Do not look at the hem of her Nike skirt and pretend you have uncovered a plot.

She is playing for the Philippines. That is what matters. The rest is just fabric. And envy.

Leave the kid alone. In this time of desperation and discontent in our benighted country, Alexandra Eala is a shaft of light that gives us hope of a better tomorrow. Let her play.