January 13, 2026
MANILA – New year, same Alex Eala.
After a banner 2025, Eala continued her rise in women’s tennis as she barged inside the top 50 in the latest WTA rankings on Monday.
The 20-year-old Filipino recorded a new career-high ranking of World No. 49 from 53. Her previous high was No. 50 last November.
The Rafa Nadal Academy graduate was coming off a semifinal stint in the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand. She lost to China’s Wang Xinyu in three tight sets, narrowly missing the final round of the WTA 250 event.
Veteran Ukrainian netter and World No. 13 Elina Svitolina ruled the tournament, topping Wang in straight sets, 6-3, 7-6 (8), on Sunday for her 19th WTA Tour crown. Wang, meanwhile, had the biggest leap from 57th to 43rd.
The ASB Classic served as a warmup to Eala’s upcoming major stint at the Australian Open, which kicks off on Wednesday.
Eala, however, will first see action at the Kooyong Classic in Melbourne, where she was among the few players invited in the annual exhibition tournament.
She will compete against No. 70 Donna Vekic, No. 121 Priscilla Hon and Slovakia’s Daniela Hantuchova. The 42-year-old Hantuchova, a four-time Grand Slam winner, is a surprise participant in the event, marking her return to tennis after retiring in 2017.