Eala soars to new career-high No. 15 in WTA rankings

MANILA, Philippines — Alex Eala soared to a new career-high No. 15 in WTA live rankings after scoring a 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 semifinal win at the 250 Hong Kong Open in China Saturday evening. Officially No. 17 in the WTA rankings, Eala earned 103 points to raise her total to 2,392 after dispatching No. 30 Maria Sakarri in the semis. Eala overtook former No. 15 Sorana Cirstea who has 2,386 points.  Regardless of the final result against world No. 102 Claire Liu on Sunday, Eala will finish the 2026 season as the No. 15 which is a 35- notch improvement from her No. 50 finish last year.  Eala could no longer go higher than No. 15 since current No. 14 Elise Mertens has 2,540 points while the former can only gain 2,479 even with a Hong Kong championship.