Alex Eala sets eyes on Top 50 tennis world ranking, Olympics
After her historic run in the 2025 Miami Open, Alex Eala is now aiming to improve her tennis worldwide ranking and raise the Philippine flag in other prestigious sports tournaments, such as the Olympics and major Grand Slams.
In a press conference, the tennis phenom took the time to share some of her future goals when to comes to her career in the sport. One of these is moving up further in the Women's Tennis Association rankings.
According to the latest ranking of the WTA, Eala is now the World No. 73 tennis player, jumping 67 places from her previous 140 spot. She was cited to have garnered 894 points from her performances in tournaments.
"Of course, the more, the merrier. The better ranking, the better," Eala said when asked about the next ranking she wants to achieve.
"I think after 75, the next step would be top 50. But this is all new territory for me, so I'll try to navigate that muna before claiming any new steps," she added.
With her placement in the Top 100, she is now the first Filipina to become eligible to compete in the four major tennis tournaments—the US Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and Australian Open—as a direct entry and not as a wildcard.
Eala is confident that she'll be able to achieve a Grand Slam one day.
"I definitely think I have the potential for a Grand Slam. And it's super flattering to hear all those greats talking about me when I've been looking up to them for so long. It means a lot that they recognize my talent, but I cannot dwell on just that because in the end, it's one tournament," she said.
"I know that in order to be great, you need tournament after tournament after tournament after tournament like this. So that's what I'm trying to work on. That's the goal," she highlighted.
She also has her eyes set on the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.
"I think that the Olympics is such a big event and it's definitely one of my goals to represent the country there, so hopefully in 2028," Eala shared.
"I'm so happy to see that the Filipinos really excelled, lalo na si Carlos Yulo, of course. It was a big inspiration for the country and a big event that united all of us in pride and in happiness," she continued. "Seeing them do their best and fight in their respective sports was super inspiring."
Biggest challenge as a Pinoy athlete
Eala admitted that being a Filipino athlete has its own disadvantages, especially when it comes to the travel aspect of competing.
"I find challenging the visas and being able to plan because as a tennis player, you need to be very flexible with your schedule," she said.
"You're going to make a lot of last-minute choices, and it doesn't allow you time to organize all of this," she added.
On the flip side, Eala underscored that the best thing about being a Filipino athlete is the "support and the Pinoys."
"You cannot find that kind of community anywhere else, in my opinion, and the love and the support this past month is a testament to that," she said.
Eala made history at the Miami Open after defeating Australian Open champion and World No. 5 Madison Keys. This made her the first Filipino to beat a Top 10 opponent since the ranking system started 50 years ago.
Her winning streak continued when she emerged victorious against World No. 2 Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals. However, she eventually fell short in the semis after losing to World No. 4 Jessica Pegula of America.
Nevertheless, she ended her stint on a high note by becoming the first Filipino to reach the final four of a WTA 1000 event.
