By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Alex Eala improved to a career-best No. 69 in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings ahead of her main draw debut at the French Open late this week.
The Filipina tennis sensation, who turns 20 on Thursday, May 23, jumped one notch higher from No. 70 despite her first-round exit at the Italian Open last week.
In that tournament, which is rated one rung below the Grand Slams, Eala bowed to Marta Kostyuk, 6-0, 6-1.
Eala, however, bolstered her doubles rankings by propelling 232 notches from No. 456 to No. 224 following her quarterfinal finish at the same tournament with American partner Coco Gauff.
Eala and Gauff showed chemistry with straight-set victories over Alexandra Panova and Fanny Stollar in the Round of 32, and Tyra Grant and Lisa Pigato, before yielding to third seeds and eventual champions Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini, 7-5, 3-6, 10-7.
Eala is expected to head to France early this week in time for the French Open, where she hopes to deliver the same impact she did at the Miami Open last March.
Her semifinal finish at the Miami Open, where she stunned Grand Slam champions Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek, boosted her rankings outside the Top 100 and earned her enough points to gain her first main draw berth at the French Open.
Last year, Eala came close to gaining a main draw ticket at the French Open but lost in the third qualifying round.
