Alex Eala rises to new career-high world ranking at no. 45

Alex Eala continued her global rise after climbing to a new career-high no. 45 in the latest Women's Tennis Association (WTA) rankings on Monday. 

The Filipina tennis superstar made the jump ahead of the Abu Dhabi Open this week, where she is set to take on Zeynep Sonmez of Turkiye in the Round of 32 later today. 

READ MORE | Who is Zeynep Sonmez? Alex Eala’s first round opponent at Abu Dhabi Open

Eala rose from her previous mark at no. 49 as she now holds 1,163 points. 

The 20-year-old Eala is coming off an early exit at the historic Philippine Women's Open in Manila, dropping a two-set loss to eventual champion Camila Osorio of Colombia in the quarterfinals. 

Before that loss, Eala prevailed over Alina Charaeva in the Round of 32 and Himeno Sakatsume in the Round of 16. 

Eala now shifts her focus on the Abu Dhabi Open as she seeks her first title in 2026. 

—JMB, GMA Integrated News