MANILA, Philippines, August 30 ------ For the first time in her young career, Alex Eala landed inside the top 200 in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) world ranking. The 18-year-old jumped 22 spots from No. 217 to a career-high No. 195 in the latest world ranking released. Eala’s latest world ranking surpasses her previous career-best of 214, which she achieved in November 2022.
The young Filipina sensation got a lift after a string of solid outings starting last May, where she joined 10 events in the International Tennis Federation (ITF) tour. Eala wrapped up her run in the quarterfinals four times, the semifinals once, and the finals three times. She emerged champion in one of these finals appearances, bagging the crown in the ITF Roehamption W25K GB Pro Series last August 14 in Great Britain for her fourth career pro title.
The teen tennis ace remains the highest ranked Southeast Asian in the world, 62 spots higher than the 257th-ranked Lantana Tararudee of Thailand. Among Asians, she ranked 17th overall. Eala braces for more action in the second half of the year as she also committed to join the Philippines’ campaign in the 2023 Asian Games from September 23 to October 8 in Hangzhou, China. But before that, she will get a chance to further improve her world rankings as she is set to see action in the W100 And Securities Open Tokyo 2023 in Japan beginning September 4.
Source: rappler.com
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