By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
With only three months gone in the 2026 professional tennis calendar, Alex Eala has exceeded expectations after soaring to a new career-high World No. 29 in the latest release of the Women’s Tennis Association ranking.
Who would’ve thought that the World No. 53-ranked player entering January 2026 would jump 24 places in just three months?
Credit goes to the Filipina ace’s consistent quarterfinal appearances, top shape, in-game form, and drive to strive for more.
Hungrier than ever, Eala’s ranking skyrocketed not by fluke after she kicked off 2026 with a semifinal finish in the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand.
Despite losing a tightly contested matchup against China’s Wang Xinyu, Eala made an important leap that set the tone for the rest of her WTA 250 and WTA 500 tournaments.
After that convincing campaign in New Zealand, Eala piled up a series of consecutive quarterfinal appearances, from the Philippine Women’s Open to the 2026 Dubai World Championships.
In her recent run at Indian Wells, the 20-year-old stalwart managed to reach the Round of 16 but received a significant point boost after scoring a revenge win over Coco Gauff in the Round of 32.
Eala will have the chance to reset a new career-high if she is able to replicate her majestic 2025 run in this year’s Miami Open.
The WTA 1000 event will officially kick off today, with Eala receiving a first-round bye that instantly propelled her to the next round of the tourney.
After the Miami Open, Eala is also set to grace the Linz Open, a WTA 500 event from April 6 to April 12, 2026, in Linz, Austria.
“It’s a learning experience for me,” said Eala in an interview posted on the Indian Wells website.
“I’ve grown a lot, and I’ve had so many good matches, so many tough losses, and so much experience since then. And that’s helped me build confidence, self-esteem, and I know that I belong here.”
