Alex Eala slips one spot to No. 19 in WTA rankings

Manila Times - Oct 12, 2026

MANILA, Philippines -- Filipino tennis sensation Alexandra "Alex" Eala slipped one spot to No. 19 in the latest Women's Tennis Association (WTA) official rankings on Monday. Dropping from a career-high rank No. 18, Eala sports 2,241 points with her latest place in the leaderboard. Belgian Elise Mertens leaping from No. 19 to 14 with 2,540 points caused Eala's slight descent. Eala first achieved the No. 18 rank which is also the highest among Southeast Asians in WTA Tour history on August 24. The 21-year-old eclipsed former Southeast Asian stars in Indonesian Yayuk Basuki and Thai Tamarine Tanasugarn who both peaked at No. 19. Basuki reached No. 19 in October 1997 while Tanasugarn matched it in May 2002. Eala reached the No. 18 rank after a fourth-round finish at the Canadian Open and a third-round campaign at the Cincinnati Open. Elena Rybakina (9,696) stayed at the top of the WTA leaderboard followed by Aryna Sabalenka (7,550) and new No. 3 Mirra Andreeva (6,371). Andreeva elevated from No. 5 to No. 3 after a runner-up finish at the China Open. Jessica Pegula (6,225) and Coco Gauff (5,974) rounded out the top five. Meanwhile, Eala was set to start her singles campaign at the 1000 Wuhan Open on Monday evening. Eala was to face...

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