Alex Eala continues making history and rises to No. 29 in the WTA rankings

16.03.2026

RNA Editorial.

Alex Eala continues to write historic chapters for tennis in her country. At just 20 years old, the player who trained at the Rafa Nadal Academy has reached No. 29 in the WTA world rankings, the highest ranking of her career, thanks to the 1,525 points she holds following the latest update of the women’s standings.

Eala climbs three positions from her previous ranking, where she stood at No. 32, confirming her steady progression among the best players on the tour.

The Filipina’s rise comes after a strong start to the 2026 season, in which she has recorded several notable results on the WTA circuit. Eala was a semifinalist at the ASB Classic in Auckland, reached the quarterfinals at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open presented by Abu Dhabi Sports Council and at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, and advanced to the Round of 16 at the most recent BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, one of the most prestigious tournaments on the calendar. In the first Grand Slam of the season, the Australian Open, the Filipina fell in the opening round.

Return to Miami, where it all began

After her time in California, Eala now returns to Miami, a very special venue for her promising career, as it was there that one of the most remarkable breakthroughs in recent women’s tennis began.

In 2025, the Filipina arrived at the Miami Open thanks to a wildcard from the tournament organizers when she was ranked No. 140 in the world. Few could have predicted that she would leave the United States as one of the biggest sensations on the tour after defeating players such as Jelena Ostapenko and Madison Keys, both Grand Slam champions.

The 2025 Miami Open also set up a very special match for Eala when she faced Iga Swiatek, then the world No. 2. Two years earlier, the Polish star had attended Alex’s graduation ceremony at the Rafa Nadal Academy, invited by Rafa Nadal himself, during an emotional event held in Manacor.

In Miami, the two players met again on court and Eala produced another memorable performance, winning 6–2, 7–5 to secure a historic place in the semifinals of the tournament.

It was in Miami where the wider tennis audience truly began to take notice of Eala, although the Filipina had already made a name for herself on the junior circuit. In 2020, at just 14 years old, she won the Australian Open Junior doubles title alongside Priska Nugroho. A year later, she also captured the Roland Garros Junior title, confirming her status as one of the brightest prospects in world tennis.

In 2022, she made history by winning the US Open Junior singles title, becoming the first Filipina to claim a Grand Slam title in the junior category. Since then, she has continued to consolidate her professional career: in 2023 she won several ITF titles, and in 2024 she secured her first victory in the main draw of a WTA 1000 event at the Mutua Madrid Open, as well as lifting a W100 title in Vitoria-Gasteiz.

Currently coached by Joan Bosch, the Filipina continues to make steady strides among the elite of world tennis, and at the 2025 US Open she achieved another milestone by recording the first main draw victory for a Filipina player at a Grand Slam tournament.

Her historic rise into the Top 30 of the WTA rankings confirms the consolidation of a player who has already become a reference for sport in the Philippines and who continues to push the boundaries of what once seemed possible. And, as her journey so far suggests, the best chapters of Alex Eala’s story are still yet to be written.