FILIPINA tennis star Alexandra “Alex” Eala continued her rapid rise in world tennis after climbing to a career-high No. 38 in the latest Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings following an impressive run in the Italian Open in Rome.
The 20-year-old Victorias City, Negros Occidental-native moved up four spots from World No. 42 after collecting 1,340 ranking points in the updated rankings released Monday.
Eala gained an additional 55 points from her campaign in the prestigious clay-court tournament at Foro Italico held from May 5 to 17, further boosting her momentum ahead of the French Open.
The latest jump extends Eala’s remarkable climb this month after previously improving from No. 44 to No. 42 earlier in May.
Earlier this season, Eala reached the Round of 16 in both the Miami Open and Indian Wells tournaments, while also advancing to the quarterfinals of the Dubai and Abu Dhabi competitions.
She also opened her 2026 season strongly with a semifinal finish in the ASB Classic in Auckland.
Eala is set to continue her European clay-court campaign in the main draw of the Internationaux de Strasbourg in France, where she will face Oleksandra Olynykova in the opening round.
The Strasbourg tournament serves as another crucial buildup event for Eala as she prepares for Roland Garros and continues gaining valuable experience against higher-ranked opponents./PN
