Alex Eala has climbed into the world’s top 50 for the first time in her career, rising to No 49 in the latest Women’s Tennis Association (WTA).
The 20-year-old Filipina produced an encouraging start to her 2026 season at the ASB Classic in Auckland, where she reached the semi-finals of the WTA 250 event. Eala recorded a straight-sets win over Poland’s Magda Linette in the quarter-finals before her run was ended by Wang Xinyu of the People’s Republic of China. Top seed Elina Svitolina went on to win the title.
The result in Auckland lifted Eala one place from her previous career-high ranking of No 50 and marked another step forward after a steady rise on the WTA Tour over the past year.