By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Alex Eala just reset her women’s singles career-high ranking in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) confirmed last January 30, 2024.
After previously clinching her career-high of world no. 191 last September 18, 2023, where she jumped four places, the Filipina sensation wasn’t done raising the bar when the WTA announced her new ranking on their official website.
In just four months, Eala is now the world’s no. 184 ranked women’s singles player, a new career-high since turning professional.
Eala’s major point boost came after a quarterfinal finish last week during the Necc-Deccan International Tennis Federation (ITF) Prune tournament.
Aside from her campaign in India, Eala also clinched several quarterfinal and semifinal appearances in the ITF scene since November.
Also, Eala’s recent outing during the Guangzhou Open and the Japan Women’s Open helped her increase more points days before the kick-off of the 2023 Asian Games.
Perhaps Eala’s greatest achievement last year was winning the championship title during the W25 Roehampton International Tennis Federation (ITF) tournament last August 13, 2023, held in Great Britain.
Eala took down Arina Rodionova during the grand finals- 6.2, 6.3- and pulled off a stunning upset victory.
From the get-go, it was Eala who dictated the tempo of the match after quickly scoring a break-point to grab a 3-0 first-set lead.
Although Rodionova was able to re-capture her groove midway through the first set, Eala’s forehand bombs were just in time to help her finish the period strong.
Eala was all over the place and was consistent with her signature down-the-line forehand winners that summed up her dominant first-set win.
Also helping in skyrocketing Eala’s points was her runner-up finish during the Aldershot Tennis Centre in Great Britain last August 20, 2023.
