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| After winning her first pro title, Alex Eala is on the rise again. US Open (file photo) |
MANILA—She just keeps on making waves.
Alex Eala climbed to world no. 61 in the WTA rankings following her first professional tournament win at the Guadalajara Open in Mexico, where she became the first Filipino to ever capture a WTA singles title.
The 20-year-old Filipina overcame Hungarian Panna Udvardy in the final, 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, rallying from a poor start to secure her maiden WTA crown and break the trophy barrier.
Eala’s title run included victories over Arianna Hartono of the Netherlands, Varvara Lepchenko of the United States, Nicole Fossa Huergo of Italy, and Kayla Day of the United States before stunning Udvardy in the championship match.
The triumph propelled Eala 14 spots up the rankings from no. 75 to no. 61, just a few places below her career-best ranking of no. 56 set earlier this year.
Her rise comes on the heels of a strong season highlighted by a semifinal appearance in the Miami Open, a finals run in Eastbourne, and her first-ever Grand Slam main draw win at the US Open against 14th seed Clara Tauson.
The new ranking assures Eala direct entry into upcoming Grand Slam tournaments and WTA 500 and 1000 events without needing to go through qualifiers.
Tennis legend Rafael Nadal, whose academy Eala trains at in Spain, commended her achievement, calling it a proud moment for the Philippines.
"Congrats [Alex Eala] for your first WTA (Trophy). I am happy and proud of what you are achieving for yourself and for the Philippines," said the 22-time Grand Slam winner on X (formerly Twitter).
Eala will next see action in the WTA 250 São Paulo event, where she will enter as the third seed.
