AN EXPLOSIVE Recent Yr it’s for Alexandra “Alex” Eala.
Relentless in her drive to the highest, Ms. Eala zoomed to a brand new career-high rating of No. 49 within the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) to start out her 2026 campaign with a bang ahead of a good greater tourney that’s the Australian Open (AO) this week.
Ms. Eala leapt 4 spots from No. 53 with 1,159 points, because of a semifinal finish on the ASB Classic in Auckland, Recent Zealand over the weekend.
The 20-year-old Filipina reset her previous career-best placing at No. 50 last month to finish a stellar 2025 campaign and set the proper springboard for brand new heights this 12 months.
“The past 12 months jogged my memory how powerful love, support, and community could be. Now, I’m excited for what this latest 12 months brings — latest goals to chase, latest memories to create, and more meaningful moments to share with the people I like,” posted Ms. Eala, the primary Filipina ever to realize the said feat.
“This 12 months is about being braver, dreaming greater, loving harder, and doing more for the people and passions that matter most.”
Ms. Eala began the 12 months with 1,076 points but gained 83 more points in quick fashion following a solid run in Auckland that included wins against three Top 80 players.
Because the No. 4 seed, Ms. Eala beat then WTA No. 69 Donna Vekic, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 and WTA No. 82 Petra Marcinko of Croatia, 6-0, 6-2, in addition to WTA No. 52 Magda Linette of Poland, 6-3, 6-2.
She ended her campaign within the semifinals with a detailed 7-5, 5-7, 4-6 defeat to China’s Wang Xinyu, who climbed 14 spots to No. 43 after a runner-up finish to now No. 12 Elina Svitolina of Ukraine, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6).
With a brand new feather in her cap, Ms. Eala turns her focus to the Kooyong Classic, a two-day exclusive by-invite only exhibition tournament in Melbourne starting on Tuesday.
Her familiar foe in Ms. Vekic, a 2024 Wimbledon semifinalist and Paris Olympics silver medalist, can be within the fray, together with WTA No. 121 and residential bet Priscilla Hon and the 42-year-old legend Daniela Hantuchova, a multiple Grand Slam mixed doubles champion from Slovakia.
Then comes the large stage of the AO also in Melbourne, playing within the Grand Slam essential draw for the primary time ever after multiple qualifying round stints and junior doubles crown feat with Indonesian Priska Madelyn Nugroho in 2020.
The AO stays because the only Grand Slam essential draw she has not played in after the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open, where she became the primary Filipina winner at that stage after stunning then world No. 15 Clara Tauson of Denmark. — John Bryan Ulanday