How Alex Eala can achieve another WTA Rankings jump after Philippine Women’s Open win

Ewan West 26 Jan 2026 4:30 PM

Alex Eala hits a backhand

Alex Eala made her return to action at the inaugural Philippine Women’s Open, and she started her campaign in style with a dominant victory.

The Filipina star, who is the No 2 seed, cruised to a 6-1, 6-2 win against world No 163 Alina Charaeva in the opening round at the WTA 125 event.

Eala broke her 23-year-old Russian opponent five times and lost serve only once, while she won 66% (61 of 93) of the total points played in the match.

In the second set, Eala fell 0-2 down, and there was an injury scare when she left the court for a medical timeout when trailing 1-2.

The 20-year-old eased concerns, though, as she won six consecutive games to seal the win on her debut at her home tournament.

Eala received massive support from her compatriots at the Australian Open, and she offered great perspective when addressing handling the pressure from home fans after the match.

“Pressure is part of my job, and a lot of people ask me how I handle it, and of course, there’s added pressure playing at home,” Eala said in her on-court interview.

“But it’s nothing compared to the pressures that regular, everyday Filipinos have to face providing for their families. It’s nothing compared to what my parents have sacrificed to bring me here. So I’m doing my best and I try to enjoy it.”

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Eala added: “I think it’s such a full-circle moment to see how far tennis has come in the Philippines.

“I think playing matches and seeing my two worlds collide — being in Manila and the WTA Tour — is so full circle and so emotional for me because it’s allowed me to reflect on how far I’ve come, and it makes me proud.”

Eala will face either Nao Hibino or Himeno Sakatsume in the second round in Manila.

What impact has Alex Eala’s win had on her ranking?

The most recent edition of the WTA Rankings was released at the start of the Australian Open, and Eala is currently at her career-high ranking of world No 49.

Despite her opening round exit at the Melbourne Grand Slam last week, Eala moved up four places to a projected new career-high position of 45th in the Live WTA Rankings.

Eala’s first round win at the Philippine Women’s Open has moved her onto 1,154 points, and she remains in the world No 45 spot in the live rankings.

The 20-year-old would increase her points total to 1,163 points if she wins her second round match in Manila.

Dayana Yastremska and Tereza Valentova, who are 43rd and 44th in the live rankings, both have 1,175 points, which means this is the tally Eala must exceed if she is to climb the rankings further.

If Eala collects the maximum 125 points available for winning the Philippine Women’s Open, she would have 1,261 points, which could see her climb as high as 41st in the world when the rankings update.