Filipino tennis star Alexandra “Alex” Eala has had a breakthrough year in 2025, marking several historic firsts in her career and for Philippine tennis.
Now that she is set to begin her campaign in the Hong Kong Open, her final WTA event of the year, here’s a look back at how her victories — from her dream run in the Miami Open and her first WTA title in Eastbourne, to her first Grand Slam win at the US Open and her first WTA 125 title in Guadalajara — affected her place in the world rankings.
She currently sits at a career-best No. 51 in the world, knocking on the door of the Top 50, after the release of the latest rankings on Monday, October 27.
According to the WTA, “A player’s ranking is determined by results at a maximum of 18 tournaments for singles and 12 for doubles. Points are awarded based on the level of tournament and a player’s round-by-round progression at that tournament.”
October
Eala closed September and started October in China with a semifinal finish at the Jingshan Tennis Open and a quarterfinals stint at the Suzhou Open WTA 125. She also joined the qualifying round of the Wuhan Open and competed in the Japan Women’s Open. In the Guangzhou Open, she was eliminated in the Round of 32 in the singles competition.
October 27: No. 51 (Career-high)
October 20: No. 53
October 13: No. 54
October 6: No. 54
September
Eala climbed up the rankings on the strength of her first round win in the US Open — her first-ever win in a Grand Slam — and her first WTA 125 title at the Guadalajara 125 Open. She also reached the quarterfinals of the SP Open.
September 22: No. 58
September 15: No. 57
September 8: No. 61
August
Eala was scheduled to compete in two tournaments, the Cincinnati Open and the Monterrey Open, in the lead-up for the US Open. But a shoulder injury kept her out of both tournaments in preparation for a healthy US Open stint.
August 25: No. 75
August 18: No. 70
August 11: No. 68
July
In July, she made her Centre Court debut in Wimbledon. However, her first round losses there and in the Canadian Open limited her ability to impact the rankings.
July 28: No. 65
July 21: No. 69
July 14: No. 56
June
Eala set a career milestone by moving up to her career-high No. 56 in June after reaching the final of the Eastbourne Open, her first-ever WTA Final. She also made the quarterfinals of the Ilkley Open and the Round of 32 of the Nottingham Open.
June 30: No. 56
June 23: No. 74
June 16: No. 77
June 9: No. 77
May
In May, Eala made early exits in the Italian Open and in the French Open, where she made her main draw debut.
May 26: No. 73
May 19: No. 69
May 5: No. 70
April
Following her run in Miami, Eala reached the Round of 64 in the Madrid Open, where she was beaten by World No. 2 Iga Swiatek in a rematch from the previous month.
April 21: No. 72
April 14: No. 72
April 7: No. 73
March
Eala made a huge leap in the world rankings after her dream run at the Miami Open, where she defeated names like Swiatek, Madison Keys, and Jelena Ostapenko en route to the semifinals. Jumping more than 60 places, she also became the first Filipina to enter the Top 100 of the WTA rankings.
March 31: No. 75
March 17: No. 140
March 3: No. 140
February
February 24: No. 137
February 17: No. 139
February 10: No. 139
January
In January, she reached the semifinals of the WTA Canberra International before making an exit in the qualifying draw of the Australian Open.
January 27: No. 134
January 13: No. 136
January 6: No. 138
—JMB, GMA Integrated News
