ALEXANDRA “ALEX” EALA will take a short breather at home before resuming her Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Tour campaign next week in China following a stellar tour in Latin America.
Ms. Eala is in transit back to Manila from Brazil to recharge with her family ahead of a WTA 125 stint in the Jingshan Open in China beginning next Monday.
“Heading home,” posted Ms. Eala on a plane with her parents Michael and Rizza after being among the first 23 players listed in the Chinese tourney.
Ms. Eala scored seven straight wins in back-to-back campaigns in Mexico and Brazil highlighted by the first-ever WTA title for her and for Philippine tennis in the WTA 125 Guadalajara Open.
The 20-year-old Filipina pride went on to clinch two more wins in the WTA 250 Sao Paulo before exiting in the quarterfinals against fellow trailblazer Janice Tjen of Indonesia, 6-4, 6-1.
Stringing it with her breakthrough in the US Open as the first Filipina winner in any Grand Slam main draw ever, Ms. Eala on Monday officially improved to No. 57 in the WTA world rankings.
She climbed all the way up to No. 55 based on the live rankings for supposedly a new career-best in the thick of her Brazilian campaign before settling for No. 57 at the end of the weekly ranking update.
Her previous career-high was at No. 56 following a runner-up finish in the WTA 250 Eastbourne Open in England last June.
From Europe and the Americas, Ms. Eala’s Asian foray this time starting in China and is expected to expand in other countries reinforces the possibility of her Philippine national team return in the 33rd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games this December in Thailand.
Ms. Eala won three bronze medals for the Philippines in the Hanoi SEA Games last 2022 but a packed schedule in 2023 spoiled her second stint in the Phnom Penh. — John Bryan Ulanday
