Alex Eala continues career rise, climbs to world No. 73
Alex Eala of the Philippines returns a shot against Jessica Pegula during their match on Day 10 of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium on March 27, 2025 in Miami Gardens, Florida. Al Bello/Getty Images/AFP
MANILA, Philippines — Fast-rising Alex Eala continued her ascent in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) ranks.
The 19-year-old Eala on Monday jumped to world No. 73, climbing two spots in the latest rankings.
“It sounds amazing. You know, at this level, every spot forward count. So I’m super blessed to be in this position. And I never expected it maybe a month ago that I would be here right now. So surprised, but in a good way and motivated, definitely,” said Eala in a virtual press conference on Tuesday.
Eala made the top 75 after her historic campaign in the Miami Open, where she reached the semifinals after taking down three Grand Slam champions despite entering the tournament as a wild card.
READ: ANALYSIS: At Miami Open, Alex Eala adds to icon-building era
Her dream run ended with a semifinal loss to Jessica Pegula, pushing the current world No. 3 to her limits in a grueling three-set duel.
“Being in the top 100, higher ranking means that you have more possibilities to get into higher tournaments. So the thousands and more main draws. So hopefully, in the next few slams, I’m able to get into the main draw directly. So those are the opportunities I was talking about,” said Eala. “But of course, with that comes tougher opponents and more problems, obstacles, like I said in my post. So I’m also learning how to manage that now that I’ve done a great week. I think I have a good standard. There’s a new standard for me.”
Fresh off a breakthrough, the Rafa Nadal Academy graduate is gearing up for a gauntlet in the next several weeks starting with a WTA 125 tournament, Oeiras Ladies Open in Portugal, on April 14.
Eala then competes in another WTA 1000 in the Madrid Open on April 21, followed by WTA 125 in Vic, Spain.
The Filipino prodigy will head to Italy next month as she plays in the WTA 1000 in Rome and WTA 125 in Parma on May 6 and 12, respectively.
“I haven’t been on clay in roughly a year. So it’s been a while since I’ve stepped on clay, but that’s really how it goes. The grass plus the hard season is very long. So I’m just trying to adjust my game, like feel around the court and feel comfortable with the clay,” she said.
