Alex Eala's WTA ranking and earnings after historic US Open run

Filipina tennis prodigy Alexandra Eala’s US Open journey concluded in the second round. The 20-year-old fell 4-6, 3-6 to Spain’s Cristina Bucsa, yet her influence resonated deeply with fans and aspiring athletes back home and around the globe. Still, just stepping onto the US Open main stage was a breakthrough moment, one that Filipinos everywhere celebrated.

While she didn't win the tournament, she’s not going home empty-handed. The young star just secured the second-biggest paycheck of her career and a bump in her world ranking, proof that her breakthrough summer on tour is moving her career forward in a big way.

Qualifying for her first Grand Slam main draw was already a major step in her career and a financially rewarding one, too. The US Open offers the biggest purse in all of tennis, and even a first-round loss guarantees a six-figure payday.

For Eala, her historic upset victory over Clara Tauson meant her prize money jumped from a guaranteed $110,000 to a staggering $154,000 (P8.7 million). It’s her second-largest payout to date, surpassed only by her semifinal run at the Miami Open earlier this year, which earned her a whopping $332,000.

Had she managed to win just one more match in New York, she would have pocketed $237,000.

To understand just how much Eala earned, it helps to see the big picture of the US Open's prize money, which is the largest in tennis history this year. It's a massive purse of $90 million, with the biggest checks going to the last players standing.

Here's a quick look at what players take home from the men's and women's singles draws:

Beyond the money, Eala’s two matches in New York are a big help in the long game. She came into the tournament ranked 75th in the world, a slight dip from her career-high of 56th earlier this summer. But thanks to the 70 ranking points she earned for her win over Tauson, she is now currently at No. 69 in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) live rankings. This may seem like a small detail, but it’s an important one. Having a higher ranking means she won’t have to rely on qualifying or special wildcards to get into major tournaments, securing her direct entry into bigger, more profitable events.

The loss stings, but Eala leaves New York with proof that she belongs on tennis’s biggest stage

Eala has made it clear that her goals are nothing short of becoming the No. 1 player in the world and to win Grand Slams, telling journalist Jon Wertheim in a Tennis Channel interview that she's always been 'very ambitious.' She acknowledged that as her game improves, she's seeing firsthand just 'how hard it is to achieve that'.

Her next stop is reportedly Brazil, and after that, she’s likely to play a few more WTA Challenger events to refine her game and gather the crucial experience required to chase her ultimate dream.