Eala remains at world no. 18 heading into Singapore Open

Alex Eala attends the Tory Burch Spring Summer 2026 show during New York Fashion Week in New York City. AFP

FILIPINA tennis star Alexandra “Alex” Eala remained steady at a career-high No. 18 in the latest Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings released on Monday following her impressive run in the US Open 2026.

Eala held on to the ranking after making history as the first Filipino tennister to reach the third round (Round of 32) of the final Grand Slam of the year.

Seeded No. 17 in the US Open, the 21-year-old sensation decimated American qualifier Mary Stoiana, 6-1, 6-2, in the first round before hacking out a vengeful 6-1, 6-4 sweep against Oleksandra Oliynykova of Ukraine in the second round.

Eala bowed to American friend and rising rival Iva Jovic in a thrilling three-setter, 5-7, 6-3, 5-7, that lasted over three hours at the famed Arthur Ashe Stadium last week.

The Filipina lefty ace first seized No. 18 after her historic title run in the Mubadala DC Open in Washington last month.

The WTA 500 triumph made Eala the first Filipino player to win a Tour singles title and the highest-ranked Southeast Asian woman netter in history.

Eala will now turn her attention to the Singapore Tennis Open, which is scheduled for September 21 to 27, 2026, at the OCBC Arena.

Eala is expected to be a seeded player in the WTA tourney alongside world No. 3 Jessica Pegula, No. 5 Mirra Andreeva and No. 11 Amanda Anisimova.

The Singapore tilt will serve as Eala’s final tournament before she represents the Philippines in the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. The Asiad tennis tournament will run from September 27 to October 3.

Eala heads into the continental meet as the highest-ranked player in the field, making her a heavy favorite to win the gold medal and secure a ticket to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. — Jeremiah Sevilla