Why did Alex Eala drop from career-high No. 29 to No. 50
Filipino tennis star is set to face Laura Siegemund on Thursday in Round of 64
Dubai: Just a few days ago, Filipino tennis standout Alex Eala reached a career-high No. 29 in the official WTA rankings. However, by Wednesday, she had dropped to No. 50 in the live, unofficial rankings as play began at the Miami Open.
So what caused the sudden shift?
The WTA rankings operate on a 52-week rolling system, meaning players lose the points they earned from the same tournament the previous year once that event starts again. In Eala’s case, the live rankings now reflect the loss of the 390 points she gained from her remarkable semi-final run at last year’s Miami Open. Her total has consequently fallen from 1,525 to 1,145 points.
There is, however, a small offset. As the 31st seed this year, Eala received a first-round bye and automatically advanced to the Round of 64, earning 10 points. This reduces the net deduction to 380 points. She is set to face Laura Siegemund on Thursday in that round.
If Eala advances to the third round, she could face a major challenge in second seed and world No. 3 Iga Swiatek.
The 20-year-old still has the opportunity to reclaim those lost points by matching last year’s semi-final performance — or even surpassing it with a deeper run to the final or a title win.
Reflecting on her breakthrough in Miami, Eala said on The Sit-Down podcast: “I think that run has to be the highlight of my career so far. That’s what put me on the map. Everything clicked after that. I look back at that moment, and I just think, wow, it was insane. It’s crazy to believe that actually happened.”
After Miami, Eala is scheduled to compete at the Upper Austria Ladies Linz from April 6 to 12, which will likely mark her first clay-court appearance of the season.
