FILIPINA tennis sensation Alex Eala continues to rise in WTA rankings, posting a new career-high of World No. 40, following her solid run in the Abu Dhabi Open last week.
According to the latest WTA list released on Monday, Eala jumped five spots from her previous ranking of No. 45.
Eala now has a total of 1,244 points. Eala is expected to climb even higher if she picks up more wins in her next tournaments — the WTA 1000 Qatar Open at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha.
The 20-year-old Filipina has already played four WTA tournaments early in 2026.
In the ASB Classic in Auckland, Eala reached the semifinals but bowed out early in the Australian Open against American Alycia Parks.
After her stint in ASB Classic, Eala rose to world No. 49.
The Filipina also played her first-ever WTA 125 on home soil and made it to quarterfinals but lost to eventual champion Camila Osorio of Colombia.
But not all is lost for the Filipina as her finish in the Philippine Women’s Open propelled her points to world No. 45.
Her recent strong showing in the WTA 500 Abu Dhabi Open, where Eala reached the quarterfinals in singles, and semifinals in doubles with Janice Tjen of Indonesia, allowed her to garner enough points to barge into the Top 40 in world rankings.
She also hit a new career-high ranking of No. 99 in doubles — a 37-spot jump from her previous position.
The left-handed Filipina netter has a busy schedule for the Middle East swing as she is also listed to compete in the WTA 1000 Dubai Open from Feb. 15-21.
The Dubai Open features heavyweight netters including world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka, who skipped the Qatar Open, world No. 2 Iga Swiatek, defending Dubai Open champion Mirra Andreeva and 2026 Australian Open Champion Elena Rybakina.
She is also expected to join the WTA 1000 Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, from March 4-15.