MANILA, Philippines — Filipino tennis sensation Alex Eala has reached another historic milestone, climbing to a new career-high of world No. 45 in the latest Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings released on Monday, February 2, 2026.
The 20-year-old star is now just five spots away from breaking into the elite WTA top 40 as she prepares for her opening match at the Abu Dhabi Open.
Abu Dhabi Open Campaign Eala is set to compete in the round of 32 on Monday night (Manila time) against Turkey’s Zeynep Sonmez.
- The Opponent: The 23-year-old Sonmez is coming off a historic performance at the 2026 Australian Open, where she became the first Turkish player to reach the third round in Melbourne. She currently sits at world No. 79.
- Head-to-Head: Eala holds a perfect 2-0 record against Sonmez, with their most recent encounter being a straight-sets victory at the Eastbourne Open qualifying round in June 2025.
- Doubles Action: Eala will also participate in the doubles tournament, partnering with Janice Tjen of Indonesia. The Southeast Asian duo faces a tough round-of-16 match against Leylah Fernandez and Kristina Mladenovic.
Recent Performance Eala’s ranking boost follows a strong showing at the inaugural Philippine Women’s Open in Manila, where she reached the quarterfinals. She eventually bowed out to the tournament’s champion, Camila Osorio of Colombia.
WTA Global Context In the broader rankings, newly crowned Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina moved up to world No. 3, trailing only Iga Swiatek (No. 2) and world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.
As Eala continues her ascent in the professional circuit, her performance in Abu Dhabi will be crucial in her bid to become the first Filipino to crack the top 40 in WTA history.