AS EXPECTED, Filipino tennis wunderkind Alex Eala saw her ranking in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) climb further following a spirited run in the recent W60 tournament in Bellinzona, Switzerland.
The Rafa Nadal Academy scholar is now in 662nd place in the latest WTA rankings released on Monday, an increase of 53 spots from her previous ranking.
The ascent was boosted by Ms. Eala’s impressive run in Bellinzona where she reached the Round of 16. The event was her first-ever $60,000 tournament.
Ms. Eala, a long-time Globe ambassador, opened her bid in the W60 tournament with a hard-earned, three-set win over Margot Yerolymos of France before dominating Laura-Ioana Paar of Romania in the second.
Her run would come to an end in the third round against hometown bet Simona Waltert, but not after making her opponent sweat for three sets (5-7, 6-3, 2-6), which lasted for more than two hours.
For her efforts, her team at the Rafa Nadal Academy lauded her and expressed its full support for the player moving forward.
Ms. Eala’s showing in Bellinzona, where she was a junior exempt as the world’s number three-ranked juniors player, was a continuation of her solid performance as a professional.
She won her first professional singles title at W15 Manacor in Mallorca, Spain, in January then recorded three consecutive quarterfinal appearances in her next three tournaments.
Ms. Eala began the year at no. 1,190 in the WTA, but continued to rise up rapidly in the professional ranks.
TOP 10 PLAYERS
Meanwhile, the ranking of the top 10 players in the world is practically a steady save for the 10th spot.
Australia’s Ashley Barty remained at number one, followed by Japan’s Naomi Osaka and Simona Halep of Romania.
Rounding out the top five are Sofia Kenin of the United States and Elina Svitolina of Ukraine.
Coming at sixth is Elina Andreescu of Canada, followed by Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, American Serena Williams, and Czech Karolina Plíšková.
Petra Kvitová (10th) of the Czech Republic entered the top 10, replacing Kiki Bertens of The Netherlands. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo