Alex Eala up to milestone position in WTA Rankings as she reaches Pan Pacific Open quarter-finals
Alex Eala progressed to the quarter-finals of the 2026 Pan Pacific Open after a three-set comeback victory against Talia Gibson.
The Filipina star downed world No 38 Gibson 4-6, 6-2, 6-0 in the second round at the WTA 500 tournament in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Eala lost the opening set after she was broken at 3-4 and 4-5, but she did not lose serve again thereafter and broke her 22-year-old Australian opponent twice in the second set and three times in the third to complete a dominant turnaround.
The 21-year-old started the week as the world No 19 — one place below her career-high ranking position of 18th.
After reaching the last eight at the Pan Pacific Open, Eala has moved onto 2,289 ranking points.
According to the Live WTA Rankings on live-tennis.eu, Eala is back up to her peak position of 18th.
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Victoria Mboko, who has been sidelined since June due to a knee injury, has fallen from 15th to 20th in the Live Rankings as she is dropping 250 points this week.
Eala is currently 26 points behind Naomi Osaka in 17th place, 74 points adrift of Amanda Anisimova in 16th, and 97 points below 15th-placed Sorana Cirstea.
What Alex Eala said after her opening match in Tokyo
Eala dismantled 17-year-old British wildcard Mika Stojsavljevic 6-1, 6-2 in the opening round in Tokyo on Monday.
Following her first round win, Eala said: “I think it was super important today to be focused on every single point. Playing against Mika for the first time was a great experience and I am sure we will meet many, many more times.
“I think she has a really good level and I’ll see her many more times on Tour. I think it was super important to be focused, especially in the first round, and try to keep the intensity up.”
Who will Alex Eala play next?
In her next match, Eala will face world No 13 Diana Shnaider in the quarter-finals at the Pan Pacific Open.
It will be a rematch of the pair’s second round encounter at the Ningbo Open last week, which Shnaider won 7-5, 6-4.
