Eala slides to No. 187 in WTA rankings
ALEX Eala slipped a bit in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings after an early exit in the 2024 Australian Open in Melbourne last week.
From a new career-high of No. 185 to start the year, Ms. Eala slid to No. 187 as per the latest list of the women’s pro circuit in the middle of the Australian Open main draw.
For the second straight stint in the Australian Open women’s level, Ms. Eala exited in the first round of the qualifying draw with a 6-2, 7-5 defeat against Sweden’s Rebecca Peterson.
The 18-year-old Filipina ace, who won the 2020 Australian Open girls’ doubles title with Indonesian pal Priska Madelyn Nugroho, also absorbed an opening-round defeat against Japan’s Misaki Doi, 6-4, 6-7, 3-6 in her women’s debut last year. Ms. Eala was also dealt a first-round loss in the Canberra Workday International against Switzerland’s Celine Naef, 6-4, 7-5, that served as her warm-up for the Australian Open.
But all’s not lost for the Rafael Nadal Academy’s proud graduate, who scored a Final Four finish in the doubles division of the same event with Brazilian partner Laura Pigossi. Ms. Eala, a former world junior No. 2, is out to ride on the wealthy experience from these big tournaments to start her season after a productive campaign last year.
Her target is to barge into the Top 100 of the women’s pro circuit after capturing two pro titles last year, including two bronze medals in the Asian Games to end the Philippines’ 17-year tennis medal drought. — John Bryan Ulanday