Alex Eala drops in rankings ahead of clay season

Dubai: Filipino tennis standout Alex Eala dropped from a career-high No. 29 to No. 45 in the latest Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings released on Monday.

Eala concluded her Miami campaign with a Round of 16 finish, exiting the tournament after a loss to Karolina Muchova in straight sets. Her run included notable wins over Magda Linette and Laura Siegemund in the earlier rounds.

Her Round of 16 finish earned her 120 ranking points — significantly fewer than the 390 points she gained from her semi-final appearance in the same tournament last year.

As a result, Eala’s total points fell from 1,525 to 1,255, allowing several players to overtake her in the rankings.

“I can confirm, Miami’s still the best. I’ll always have a special place in my heart for this tournament. First sunshine double done!” Eala said after her Miami run.

Meanwhile, Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka remains world No 1 with 11,025 points, followed by Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina (8,108) and American Coco Gauff (7,278). Poland’s Iga Swiatek (7,263) and American Jessica Pegula (6,243) complete the top five.

Second straight title

Sabalenka won her second straight Miami Open title on Sunday beating Coco Gauff 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 to complete a "Sunshine Double" Indian Wells-Miami sweep.

The world No 1 from Belarus, fresh off her first triumph in the California desert, became the fifth woman - and the first since Iga Swiatek in 2022 - to win both of the elite early season hardcourt WTA 1000 titles.

"It means a lot," Sabalenka said after joining Poland's Swiatek, German great Steffi Graf, Belgian Kim Clijsters and fellow Belarusian Victoria Azarenka on the list of women to win both titles in the same year.