Filipino tennis star Alex Eala officially broke into the top 40 of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings on Monday.
The 20-year-old, already the highest-ranked Filipino player in WTA Tour history, climbed five places following a strong showing at the Abu Dhabi Open, where her run ended in the quarter-finals against world number 10 Ekaterina Alexandrova.
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At the same tournament, Eala also featured in the women’s doubles, partnering Indonesia’s Janice Tjen.
The Southeast Asian pairing exceeded expectations by reaching the semi-finals despite playing together for the first time.
That run saw Eala surge 37 places in the doubles rankings, moving her up to world number 99, the biggest climb by any player in the latest WTA doubles list.
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Eala is set to continue her 2026 campaign at this week’s Qatar Open, where another solid performance in Doha could see her climb further up the singles standings.
In the opening round, she faces Czech qualifier Tereza Valentova, who previously defeated her at last year’s Japan Open.
Should Eala advance, another Czech opponent in Karolina Muchova awaits in the second round.
