MANILA – Filipina tennis sensation Alexandra “Alex” Eala surged to a new career milestone after climbing to a career-best No. 29 in the latest Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings released Monday, strengthening her position among the world’s elite players as she heads into the prestigious Miami Open.
Eala moved up three places from No. 32, surpassing the No. 31 ranking she achieved in February to establish a new personal best in the global standings.
The 19-year-old’s climb was fueled by her strong campaign at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, where she advanced to the round of 16 in the WTA 1000 tournament—one of the most competitive events on the professional calendar.
Her performance in Indian Wells earned her 120 ranking points, boosting her total to 1,542.
Her actual increase in the rankings reflected a gain of 110 points after a portion of the points she earned during the same tournament window last year expired.
With momentum on her side, Eala now turns her focus to another major challenge as she competes in the WTA 1000 Miami Open scheduled from March 17 to 29.
Seeded 31st in the tournament, the Filipina receives a first-round bye and will begin her campaign in the round of 64 against either Germany’s Laura Siegemund or Croatia’s Petra Marcinko.
A potential high-profile showdown could await Eala in the round of 32 against world No. 3 Iga Swiatek of Poland if both players win their opening matches.
Swiatek, the tournament’s second seed, will start her campaign against either fellow Pole Magda Linette or Varvara Gracheva.
Eala and Swiatek have faced each other twice on the professional circuit.
The Filipina delivered a breakthrough victory over the then world No. 2 in the quarterfinals of the Miami Open last year, pulling off a stunning 6-2, 7-5 upset while ranked outside the top 100.
Swiatek later avenged that defeat at the Madrid Open, overcoming Eala in three sets, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, during their round-of-64 encounter./PN
