By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Alex Eala returns inside the Top 30 of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) with a career-high No. 28 this week following a historic run at the recently-concluded Wimbledon Championships.
The 21-year-old has jumped four notches from a previous No. 32, a ranking she carried at the said Grand Slam, after reaching the fourth round of the grass court event.
Eala, who became the first Filipina to compete at a Grand Slam singles as a seeded player, lost to 13th seed Jasmine Paolini, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.
Her latest ranking eclipsed her previous best of No. 29 last March, just after her fourth-round finish at the WTA1000 Indian Wells Open.
Early June, she was at No. 30.
Interestingly, she sits one rung above Grand Slam champions Jelena Ostapenko, who is at No. 30, and three spots ahead of Barbora Krejcikova, who is at No. 32.
Eala is currently in Manila for upcoming engagements with brand sponsors, including a scheduled meet-and-greet with fans on Wednesday, July 15, at the Glorietta Activity Center.
