Alex Eala +4 in WTA Rankings as she overtakes Emma Raducanu after big upset
Alex Eala secured arguably the biggest win of her career by downing Elena Rybakina 7-5 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals of the Berlin Tennis Open.
The Filipino was 4-1 down in the first set but rallied to take the opener on Thursday afternoon against the world No 2.
And the 21-year-old kept her calm to beat the two-time major winner and reach the last eight in Germany.
That was her fifth career top 10 win, her third this year, and her second-ever top three victory (beat second-ranked Iga Swiatek in Miami last year).
Following her superb victory at the grass court tournament, a giddy Eala revealed she had a quick phone call with her father.
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She said, “I called my dad. I don’t know. I said ‘Oh my God.’ We were just screaming. My mom was there too. I’m really happy.
“I’m a little foggy right now. I think I’m still shaking. I was shaking on match point. I’m really happy with today. It could’ve gone either way.
“There were really tight moments in both sets. Of course she’s an amazing player. She’s the one to beat. I’m happy to have been able to share the court with her again.”
That is not the only reason to feel positive after this victory as Eala is now up to 31 in the live WTA rankings, just two off her career-high.
That puts her one spot ahead of Queen’s runner-up Emma Raducanu and two in front of Queen’s champion Donna Vekic, a player she beat in the first round.
Eala started the week in 35th but is now closing in on the top 30. At this rate, she and Raducanu will be seeded at Wimbledon. Incidentally, the Filipino has now jumped to 24th in the WTA Race, up from 26th at the start of the week.
For Rybakina, this is another missed opportunity. After winning in Stuttgart in April, she has failed to make it past the quarter-final stage of her last five tournaments.
That has also included early losses at the French Open, Madrid, and now Berlin.
While this is all subject to change, with a tournament win for Eala likely to push her up to 22nd in the rankings, here is a rundown of the top 20 players in the women’s game at the time of writing.
WTA Top 20
1. Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus) – 9,003
2. Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan) – 8,143
3. Iga Swiatek (Poland) – 6,733
4. Jessica Pegula (United States) – 6,163
5. Mirra Andreeva (Russia) – 5,751
6. Amanda Anisimova (United States) – 5,523
7. Coco Gauff (United States) – 4,879
8. Elina Svitolina Ukraine – 4,423
9. Victoria Mboko Canada – 3,670
10. Karolina Muchova (Czechia) – 3,448
11. Belinda Bencic (Switzerland) – 3,385
12. Marta Kostyuk (Ukraine) – 3,157
13. Linda Noskova (Czechia) – 3,097
14. Jasmine Paolini (Italy) – 2,617
15. Naomi Osaka (Japan) – 2,571
16. Diana Shnaider (Russia) – 2,458
17. Iva Jovic (United States) – 2,436
18. Sorana Cirstea (Romania) – 2,415
19. Ekaterina Alexandrova (Russia) – 2,411
20. Anna Kalinskaya (Russia) – 2,212
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