Alex Eala moves to career-high no. 40 in WTA rankings

Alex Eala made a major leap after she climbed to a new career-high no. 40 in the latest WTA rankings on Monday.

The Filipina ace made the jump after a quarterfinal appearance at the prestigious Abu Dhabi Open, where she lost to Ekaterina Alexandrova in two sets.

Eala’s new career-best mark came just hours before her stint at the WTA1000 Qatar Open today, where she will test her mettle anew against Tereza Valentova of Czech Republic in the Round of 64.

The top-tier contest serves as Eala’s fifth tournament in a busy 2026 so far. 

She opened the year with a semis appearance against Xinyu Wang in the ASB Classic before losing to Alycia Parks in the Australian Open opening round. 

She returned on her home soil to see action in the inaugural Philippine Women’s Open, where she reached the quarterfinals, falling short to Camila Osorio. Just days after, she competed at the Abu Dhabi Open and eventually dropped the quarterfinals against Ekaterina Alexandrova.

Despite these losses, the 20-year-old star still continues her rise in the global stage.

She started the year at no. 50 then climbed at no. 49. She then jumped four places higher and now barges into no. 40.

—JMB, GMA Integrated News