Alex Eala climbs in WTA Rankings as she ends losing streak with dominant Ningbo Open win
Alex Eala ended her losing streak with a dominant first round victory at the 2026 Ningbo Open, and she is projected to move up in the WTA Rankings.
The Filipina star defeated world No 34 Diane Parry 6-3, 6-1 on the opening day of the WTA 500 tournament in Ningbo on Monday.
After Parry held in her first two service games, Eala broke the 24-year-old Frenchwoman six consecutive times — three times in each set — as she surged to the finish line.
Eala was broken just twice and won 56 of the 91 points in a one-sided contest, while she recorded an impressive ratio of 12 winners to nine unforced errors.
Prior to Ningbo, Eala had lost her last two matches, having suffered an opening round exit in Wuhan following her semi-final defeat at the Asian Games.
The 21-year-old was also on a three-match losing streak at WTA Tour level, having fallen in the first round in Singapore and the third round at the US Open prior to the Asian Games.
More WTA Tour News
Why Alex Eala could miss 2027 Philippines homecoming
Want more from Tennis365? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for tennis coverage you can trust.
Eala began the Ningbo Open as the world No 20 — two places below her career-high ranking of 18th.
Following her opening round win in Ningbo, Eala’s points total is 2,241, and she has jumped two places to world No 18 in the Live WTA Rankings.
Belinda Bencic has dropped from 14th to 19th after losing points she was defending from 2025, while Amanda Anisimova has fallen from 18th to 22nd.
What Alex Eala said ahead of the Ningbo Open
In her pre-tournament press conference in Ningbo, Eala spoke of her excitement to play the event for the first time since she lost in qualifying at the 2024 edition.
“I am super excited,” Eala said.
“I think things have changed quite a bit since I was here last time, for the better. And yeah, I’m really excited!
“Well, I think it adds to the motivation, for sure. And, you know, it’s a learning process. It’s a learning process.
“I’m thankfully experiencing so many new things, so as I experience, of course I learn and try to be a better player, try to be a better person, and yeah, like I said, take it step by step.
“I think when I’m able to focus on my work, especially on court, and that I’m able to compartmentalise and really prioritise what needs to be on top.”
Who will Alex Eala play next?
Eala will face either sixth seed Diana Shnaider or qualifier Yulia Putintseva in the second round in Ninbgo.
