Alex Eala rises to no. 30 in WTA rankings
Alex Eala is now among the world's best 30 players in women's tennis after securing the No. 30 spot in the WTA rankings, with 1,557 career points.
WTA world rankings are based on a rolling 52-week, cumulative computerized system applied by the PIF WTA, which is used by the WTA to determine players' entries and seeding in all singles and doubles tournaments throughout the year.
Prior to her latest ranking, Eala was at world No. 35. She previously reached a career-high ranking of world No. 29 in March after her Indian Wells Open run.
Eala's latest ranking achievement came after her unprecedented run in the recently concluded Berlin Open at the Steffi Graf Stadion. On June 21, she endured a semifinal loss of 6–2, 6–4 to world No. 13 Linda Nosková, the same opponent she lost to at the Indian Wells Open in March.
The Czech player went on to win the Berlin Open after defeating American Jessica Pegula 6–4, 4–6, 6–3.
Prior to this, Eala breezed through two top-10 opponents on her hard-fought run to the semifinals. Early Friday, June 19 (Philippine time), she beat world No. 2 Elena Rybakina in the round of 16 with 7–5, 6–4. The win propelled Eala to the quarterfinals, where she clinched an upset win against world No. 8 Elina Svitolina the next day with 6–3, 6–4.
But Eala's semifinal defeat did not end her unparalleled tennis journey. She is set to team up with former World No. 1 Venus Williams in a qualifier duo in Round 1 of the WTA 500 Bad Homburg Open, which kicked off Saturday, June 20. Eala and Williams, 46, entered the tournament as wild cards, meaning they were invited to compete, bypassing the qualifying process.
The duo was originally scheduled to play against Japan's Shuko Aoyama and Chinese Taipei's En-Shuo Liang before the latter suffered an injury, forcing her to withdraw. Eala and Williams will now be playing against Australia's Alexandra Osborne and Catherine Harrison of the US on Tuesday, June 23, at 5 p.m. (Philippine time), with the schedule being subject to change.
On Monday night, June 22 (Philippine time), Eala will be going against Belgium's Elise Mertens in the Round of 32.
