Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Article (news)

Dyan Castillejo

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17736282875571765875203622WhatsApp Image 2025-12-16 at 4.45.27 PM.webp" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Filipina tennis star Alex Eala celebrates a point against Thailand&#x27;s Thasaporn Naklo in the semifinals of the women&#x27;s singles in the 2025 Southeast Asian Games, December 16, 2025 at the National Tennis Development Center in Nonthaburi, Thailand. <em>POC Media</em><br/></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA (<strong>UPDATED</strong>) -- Filipina tennis star Alex Eala climbed to a career-high World No. 29 in the latest Women&#x27;s Tennis Association rankings, amassing 1,525 ranking points.</p><p>The 20-year-old moved up three spots from her previous ranking of No. 32, continuing her steady rise among the top players on the WTA Tour.</p><p>Eala&#x27;s climb comes after a solid stretch in the Middle East and the United States earlier this season. She competed in the Dubai Tennis Championships before heading to the prestigious Indian Wells Open, the first leg of the WTA&#x27;s &quot;Sunshine Double.&quot;</p><p>In Indian Wells, the Filipina received a first-round bye as a seeded player and advanced to the Round of 16 before bowing out to Czech standout Linda Nosková.</p><p>The strong results helped boost Eala&#x27;s ranking as she continues to establish herself among the WTA&#x27;s rising stars.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RETURN TO MIAMI OPEN</strong></div><p>Next up for Eala is the Miami Open, the second leg of the Sunshine Double, where she enters as the 31st seed and will begin her campaign in the Round of 64 after another first-round bye.</p><p>It was in the Miami Open last year that Eala began her breakthrough, as she reached the semifinals in 2025 while defeating a  handful of Grand Slam champions.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/othersports/2026/3/14/tennis-alex-eala-set-for-debut-at-linz-open-1442">READ: Alex Eala set for debut at Linz Open</a></div><p>This year, she will begin her campaign against the winner between Germany&#x27;s Laura Siegemund and Croatia&#x27;s Petra Marcinko.</p><p>The draw also places Eala in the same section as second seed Iga Świątek, setting up a potential clash with the former world No. 1 later in the tournament.  </p><p>This marks Eala&#x27;s second bye on the WTA Tour, after previously receiving one at the Indian Wells Open. In that tournament, the Filipina reached the Round of 16 before bowing out to Czech standout Linda Nosková, 2–6, 0–6.</p><p>Should Eala face Laura Siegemund, she will go up against a seasoned German veteran currently ranked around World No. 55. Siegemund, a former World No. 27, has won two WTA singles titles in her career. </p><p>Another possible opponent is Petra Marcinko, a rising 20-year-old Croatian currently ranked World No. 72, with a career-high ranking of No. 69. Marcinko has captured one WTA 125 title. She began on the ITF circuit in 2021.</p><p>Eala holds a 1–0 head-to-head advantage over Marcinko as the Filipina dominated their previous meeting at the 2026 ASB Classic in Auckland, winning convincingly 6–0, 6–2 in the second round.  </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS:</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ti3Qo53gvmw?&amp;pp=0gcJCcUKAYcqIYzvautoplay=1&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FJdRqGkzL_U?&amp;pp=0gcJCcUKAYcqIYzvautoplay=1&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Pt8vB7TryQw?autoplay=1&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wmrZbY2PazM?autoplay=1&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>The 20-year-old moved up three spots from her previous ranking of No. 32, continuing her steady rise among the top players on the WTA Tour.</p>

The 20-year-old moved up three spots from her previous ranking of No. 32, continuing her steady rise among the top players on the WTA Tour.

Alex Eala rises to career-high World No. 29 in latest WTA rankings

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Alex Eala rises to career-high World No. 29 in latest WTA rankings

Dyan Castillejo,

ABS-CBN News

Published March 16, 2026 10:32 AM PHT

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Updated March 16, 2026 02:53 PM PHT

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