Filipina tennis star Alex Eala broke into the WTA top-30 for the first time after a strong debut at the Indian Wells Open.
Alex Eala has reached another milestone in her rising career.
The Filipina tennis standout climbed to a new career-high world ranking of No. 29, breaking into the WTA top-30 for the first time after a solid first run at Indian Wells.
Eala jumped three spots following her maiden campaign in the prestigious WTA 1000 event, where she advanced to the Round of 16 before bowing to Linda Noskova.
[RELATED: Alex Eala ends Indian Wells stint at hands of Linda Noskova]
Along the way, the 20-year-old Filipina defeated Dayana Yastremska in her opening match and moved past reigning French Open champion and world No. 4 Coco Gauff, who retired with a left arm injury in their third-round clash.
[RELATED: Alex Eala through to Indian Wells Round of 16 as Coco Gauff retires due to injury]
Eala also saw action in doubles at Indian Wells, but she and partner Iva Jovic exited in the opening round after a loss to Hailey Baptiste and Jelena Ostapenko.
She now turns her attention to the Miami Open this week, the same tournament where she made a stunning semifinal run last year.
[RELATED: Alex Eala shrugs off pressure ahead of Miami Open return]
Meanwhile, Aryna Sabalenka stayed at world No. 1 after winning the BNP Paribas Open, avenging her loss in the Australian Open Finals to Elena Rybakina.
Despite the runner-up finish, Rybakina rose to her career-high of world No. 2 in the latest rankings, while six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek slipped to No. 3.
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Pao Ambat earned his journalism degree from Cavite State University in 2022.
Passionate about sports from a young age, he primarily covers the NBA for One Sports, while also assisting in reporting on the PVL, PBA, UAAP, and other leagues.