By Tracy Cabrera
MANILA — Mirroring her steady climb from world No. 140 in singles in early 2025 to her current Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) ranking of No. 42 (as of May 4, 2026), the Philippines’ pride Alexandra Eala is also making strides in doubles, now ranked No. 88.
Eala, who will celebrate her 21st birthday on May 23, added 120 points to her doubles tally, rising 13 spots and surpassing her previous career-high ranking.
At the recently concluded Madrid Open, Eala partnered with Turkish ace Zeynep Sönmez and reached the Round of 16. The pair opened strong with a decisive win over the Taiwanese-Hungarian duo of Chan Hao-ching and Fanny Stollar before bowing out to eventual champions Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend.
The Filipina standout has also improved in singles, climbing to No. 42 ahead of the Italian Open. In Madrid, she defeated Russian veteran Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the opening round but fell to Belgian Elise Mertens in the next stage.
Looking ahead, Eala is set to compete in the Strasbourg qualifiers before returning to Paris for the French Open, marking her second appearance in the prestigious Grand Slam event.
IA/XF
