Alex Eala reaches career-high World No. 28, extends historic rise in world tennis

At 21 years old, Eala has continued to rewrite Philippine tennis history over the past two seasons.

Filipina tennis star Alex Eala has climbed to a new career-high ranking of World No. 28 in the latest Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) singles standings, further cementing her place as the country’s greatest tennis player in the Open Era.

The 21-year-old now owns 1,666 WTA ranking points, enough to place 28th in the world. She trails World No. 27 Anastasia Potapova only on a Grand Slam points tiebreak despite both players having identical point totals.

The latest ranking makes Eala the highest-ranked Filipino in WTA Tour history and the first Filipina ever to crack the world’s Top 30, another milestone in what has become a breakthrough 2026 season.

Her rise comes on the heels of a historic Wimbledon campaign, where she became the first Filipino singles player in the Open Era to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam. Along the way, she stunned defending Wimbledon champion Iga Świątek before eventually bowing to Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in a hard-fought Round of 16 match.

Eala’s Wimbledon run drew global attention, with international media praising her fearless style of play and rapid rise on the WTA Tour. Her performances also sparked celebrations across the Philippines, with fans closely following her historic campaign.

Still just 21 years old, Eala has continued to rewrite Philippine tennis history over the past two seasons, becoming the country’s first player to win a Grand Slam main-draw singles match, the first Filipina to capture a WTA title, and now the first to reach the world’s Top 30.

With the North American hard-court swing approaching, Eala will have more opportunities to improve her ranking further as she builds momentum toward the year’s final Grand Slam, the US Open.

READ: