Alex Eala’s Rise Through the WTA Rankings in 2026
Filipina tennis star Alex Eala continues to live by her mantra, “Kapag lumago, hindi na hihinto,” as she climbs to a historic World No. 18 in the WTA rankings ahead of the US Open.
Eala now holds the highest ranking ever achieved by a Southeast Asian women’s tennis player, surpassing the previous record of World No. 19 shared by Indonesia’s Yayuk Basuki and Thailand’s Tamarine Tanasugarn.
As the 21-year-old tennis star prepares to write another chapter in tennis history at the US Open, it is worth looking back at Eala’s remarkable journey throughout 2026—and how she turned an uneven start to the season into a meteoric rise up the WTA rankings.
January: No. 49
Eala began 2026 on a high note, reaching a career-best singles ranking of World No. 49 in January after making a strong semifinal run at the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand. The breakthrough made her the first Filipino tennis player to crack the WTA Top 50.
Eala’s run included a victory over Croatia’s Donna Vekić, helping propel her into the Top 50.
February: No. 40
Eala continued her climb in February, reaching a new career-high World No. 40 following a strong run at the Abu Dhabi Open, where she reached the quarterfinals before losing to Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova, 6-3, 6-3.
She later slipped seven places to No. 47 in the WTA rankings following an early exit at the Qatar Open in Doha, where she lost to Czech qualifier Tereza Valentová, 7-6 (8-6), 6-1.
The setback, however, proved temporary as Eala broke into the Top 30 for the first time the following month.
March: No. 29
Eala reached another career high of World No. 29 on March 16, becoming the first Filipino to break into the WTA Top 30. The milestone came during the spring hard-court “Sunshine Double” swing, following her run to the Round of 16 at Indian Wells.
April: No. 44
The rise was not entirely linear. Eala slipped back into the 40s during the early clay-court swing, settling at No. 44 in April.
At the Mutua Madrid Open, Eala defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the singles draw before falling to Elise Mertens in the second round. In doubles, she reached the Round of 16 alongside Turkey’s Zeynep Sönmez, defeating Chan Hao-ching and Fanny Stollár in the Round of 32.
The dip served as a reminder that Eala’s climb would not come without setbacks—but she would soon begin another ascent.
May: No. 37
Eala gradually rebuilt her ranking during May, climbing to World No. 37 by the end of the month.
She reached the Round of 32 at the WTA 1000 Italian Open in Rome, defeating Poland’s Magdalena Fręch, 6-0, 3-6, 6-4, in the first round before beating China’s Wang Xinyu in the second round. Eala’s run ended against Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina in the Round of 32.
Her progress during the clay-court swing helped Eala regain ground after her slide from No. 29, setting the stage for another breakthrough on grass.
June: No. 33
Filipina tennis star Eala climbed to World No. 33 in June after capturing the Lexus Birmingham Open title, her second career WTA 125 title.
She followed the Birmingham triumph with a Round of 16 appearance at the HSBC Championships and a semifinal run in Berlin, where she defeated two Top 10 opponents to move back into the Top 30 ahead of Wimbledon.
July: No. 28
The Filipina tennis star achieved a career-high WTA singles ranking of World No. 28 in July 2026 following a historic Round of 16 run at the Wimbledon Championships.
Eala became the first Filipino to reach the Round of 16 in a Grand Slam singles tournament, defeating defending champion Iga Świątek along the way before her run ended against Jasmine Paolini.
The Wimbledon breakthrough pushed Eala closer to the Top 20 and showed that her resurgence was gaining serious momentum.
August 3: No. 20
Eala broke into the WTA Top 20 for the first time after capturing her maiden WTA Tour title at the Mubadala DC Open in Washington, D.C.
She completed her comeback against Jessica Pegula in the final, defeating the American, 4-6, 6-4, 6-0, to become the first Filipina to win a WTA Tour-level singles title.
The victory propelled Eala to World No. 20 and gave her another historic milestone just weeks before the US Open.
August 24: No. 18
Eala’s latest breakthrough came on August 24, when she climbed two more spots to a new career-high World No. 18 in the WTA rankings.
Her ascent capped a remarkable stretch that saw her win her first WTA Tour title, reach the Round of 16 at Wimbledon and the Canadian Open, and advance to the Round of 32 at the Cincinnati Open.
The journey has hardly been a straight line. From breaking into the Top 50 in January, rising to No. 29 in March, slipping back into the 40s during the clay-court swing, and rebuilding her ranking through the summer, Eala has continued to find another level every time she has been tested.
Now, with the US Open on the horizon, Eala has another opportunity to turn her latest milestone into an even bigger chapter.
At just 21, she has already broken new ground for Philippine tennis several times in 2026. And if her mantra holds true—“Kapag lumago, hindi na hihinto”—her rise may be far from over.
