Alex Eala soars to career high no. 31 in WTA rankings
Alex Eala is now the world's no. 31 after climbing a significant 16 spots in the WTA rankings.
The WTA website highlighted Eala's rise on its ranking page, which showed Aryna Sabalenka as no. 1, the Filipina's 16-spot jump, and US player Alycia Park's 18-spot drop.
This comes after Eala competed in the WTA 1000 tournament in Dubai, where she reached the quarterfinals and fell to world's no. 4 Coco Gauff, 6-0, 6-2, on Feb. 20.
To reach her match against Gauff, Eala bested Hailey Baptiste, who retired due to injury, Jasmine Paolini, and Sorana Cîrstea.
"Three weeks of fighting with love and pride has come to an end here in Dubai," Eala said of her run on Feb. 21.
"The competition, the atmosphere, the hospitality, and the full-blown support has made these weeks ones I'll never forget. Thank you!"
In February, the 20-year-old competed in the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open, where she also reached the quarterfinals until she was defeated by Ekaterina Alexandrova, and the Qatar Open, where she exited early after she was edged out by Tereza Valentova.
Eala will next head to the Indian Wells Open in California, where big names like Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, Gauff, Venus Williams, Emma Raducanu, Jessica Pegula, Naomi Osaka, and more are competing.
She's also set to return to the Miami Open, the tournament where she caught attention for defeating Grand Slam champions Swiatek, Jelena Ostapenko, and Madison Keys.