MANILA, Philippines — Filipina tennis player Alex Eala climbed to a career-high No. 49 in the Women’s Tennis Association rankings following her semifinal finish at the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand, the WTA rankings showed at the start of the 2026 season.
Eala, 20, rose four places from No. 53 to No. 49 with 1,159 points after earning 83 ranking points in Auckland. The result surpassed her previous career-best ranking of No. 50, which she reached in December 2025.
The fourth-seeded Eala advanced to the semifinals of the WTA 250 tournament after defeating Donna Vekic, Petra Marcinko, and Magda Linette. She beat Vekic 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, Marcinko 6-0, 6-2, and Linette 6-3, 6-2. Eala bowed out in the semifinals after a 7-5, 5-7, 4-6 loss to China’s Wang Xinyu.
Following her Auckland campaign, Eala is scheduled to compete in the Kooyong Classic, an invitation-only exhibition tournament in Melbourne, before the Australian Open.
Eala is set to make her first main-draw appearance at the Australian Open, completing her participation in all four Grand Slam main draws after previous appearances at the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open.