Filipina player Alexandra Eala jumps from No 140 to No 75 after historic run

Dubai: Filipino tennis star Alexandra Eala soared into the top 100 of the world rankings after her historic run in the Miami Open.

The amazing feat meant the 19-year-old became the first ever Filipina to enter the top 100. According to the rankings released by Women’s Tennis Association on Monday, Eala jumped to No 75 from No 140.

Her previous career-high was at No 134 after a semi-final finish in Workday Canberra International in Australia. Eala started at No 1180 in 2020 when she debuted at the pro level after reaching as high as No 2 in the world junior rankings.

“I’m proud of myself for pushing through those tough moments, as well as to have been able to make a statement for the Philippines in one of the biggest stages of tennis,” said Eala in a social media post.

At the recently concluded Miami Open, Eala, who entered the tournament through a wild card, defeated three Grand Slam champions (former French Open champ Jelena Ostapenko, reigning Australian Open champ Madison Keys, and world No 2 Iga Swiatek) en route the semi-finals where she lost to world No 4 Jessia Pegula in a thrilling battle.

Only the top 100 players from the women’s pro circuit get to have direct invites to the main draws of majors like the US Open, French Open, Wimbledon and the Australian Open.