Alexandra “Alex” Eala has pushed her ranking to a new personal best after a breakthrough week in the Middle East. In the WTA rankings released Monday, Feb. 23, the 20-year-old Filipina climbed to No. 31, a career-high that came on the back of her quarterfinal run at the Dubai Tennis Championships.
Eala’s Dubai campaign drew loud support from Filipino fans who filled the Aviation Club Tennis Centre during her matches, as she reached the last eight of a WTA tournament for only the second time in her career. She advanced via a walkover against Hailey Baptiste in the opening round, then delivered her biggest result of the week by upsetting world No. 7 Jasmine Paolini before grinding out a win over Sorana Cirstea to set up a quarterfinal clash with world No. 4 Coco Gauff.
Gauff ultimately ended Eala’s run with a 6-0, 6-2 victory, but the tournament still produced a major rankings boost for the Filipina. Eala gained over 200 points in Dubai and logged the biggest jump among players in the top 50, rising 16 places from No. 47 and surpassing her previous career high of No. 40, which she reached earlier this month after another quarterfinal showing at the WTA 500 Abu Dhabi Open.
The Dubai result also capped Eala’s three-event Middle East stretch that included a quarterfinal finish in Abu Dhabi and a first-round exit at the WTA 1000 Qatar Open. Reflecting on the run, she wrote on Instagram that the past three weeks were filled with “love and pride,” adding that the competition and support in the region made it a period she “will never forget.”
