Alexandra Eala wrote more tennis history today as the 20-year-old is the first-ever Filipina to break into the top-50 on the WTA rankings list.
Eala started last week at a career-high ranking of No. 51 in the world. Since the rising star was slated to compete at the WTA 250 tournament in Hong Kong and didn't have any points to defend, it was clear that she was on the verge of entering the top-50 club. While the Filipina didn't do anything particularly impressive in Hong Kong since she lost in the round-of-16, clinching just one win was enough for her to rise one spot and make the top-50 this Monday.
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For Eala, writing history hasn't been anything new in 2025. In the spring, the rising star became the first WTA player from the Philippines to beat a top-30 player - make a WTA semifinal - and reach the top-100. In June, she became the first from her country to make a WTA final.
Eala is gradually improving and getting to where she wants to be
Eala repeated several times this year that her ultimate goal is to win a Grand Slam and become the top-ranked player in the game. But she has also often preached patience.
The obvious answer, which has always kind of been my answer, was to win Slams and to be world No. 1. I think those are kind of everybody's dream and I'm someone who's quite ambitious," the 20-year-old recently told the Olympics website.
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But I think I tried to take it a step at a time especially because I really feel the growth was relatively quick, so I try to take it step by step and not think about kind of a career goal. My goal in general, if we're talking about the big picture, is to be the best version of myself and I cannot personally put a number on that right now - I don't know, I'm trying to make it higher and higher obviously.
With a top-50 ranking under her belt, Eala will certainly aim for even bigger things in 2026.
