Filipina tennis standout Alex Eala continues her steady rise on the global stage after climbing to a new career-high world No. 45 in the latest rankings released by the Women's Tennis Association. Eala moved up from No. 49 and now holds 1,163 ranking points, marking another milestone in her young professional career ahead of her campaign at the Abu Dhabi Open this week. The 20-year-old is scheduled to face Zeynep Sonmez of Türkiye in the Round of 32, as she looks to gain momentum and pursue her first WTA title of the 2026 season. Eala enters the tournament following her stint at the Philippine Women's Open in Manila, where she bowed out in the quarterfinals after a straight-sets loss to eventual champion Camila Osorio. Prior to that, she posted wins over Alina Charaeva in the Round of 32 and Himeno Sakatsume in the Round of 16. With her latest ranking breakthrough, Eala now turns her focus fully to the Abu Dhabi Open, aiming to build consistency and push deeper into WTA competition this year.
