Alex Eala is off to a flying start to the 2026 WTA season, jumping to a career-high world no. 49 after making the semifinals of the ASB Classic.
Alex Eala reset her career-high in the WTA rankings, improving to world no. 49 in the latest edition released on Monday, Jan. 12.
Eala is coming off of a tremendous start to the year, reaching the semifinals of WTA 250 tournament ASB Classic in Auckland.
Eala's previous high was world no. 50 near the end of 2025, and she entered the ASB Classic at no. 53.
In the ASB Classic, Eala won three singles matches before losing a tough semifinals to Xinyu Wang in three sets. Her appearance in Auckland marked her third WTA semifinals after last year's Miami Open and Eastbourne Open.
The Filipina is now listed to appear at the Kooyong Classic from Jan. 13-15 before the Australian Open.
Her the main draw start at the Australian Open will make it four out of four appearances for Eala in the Grand Slams after making her debut at Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the US Open last year.
Depending on her schedule, Eala could also possibly see action in the first-ever Philippine Women’s Open which is slated at the end of January.
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Eala and Indonesia’s Janice Tjen were given Wild Cards by the Philippine Tennis Association in case they are free to participate in the historic tournament.
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Luisa Morales is a sports writer with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.
Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team, and mixed martial arts.