FORMING a fitting finale to end the year, Alex Eala reached a new career-high World No. 15 in the latest WTA rankings update on Monday night.
Eala climbed two places from No. 17 last week after reaching the final of the 2026 Hong Kong Open.
The 21-year-old Filipina remains the top-ranked Southeast Asian player and the second-highest-ranked Asian player, next to World No. 1 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan.
READ: Can we not trust Alex to make (good) decisions for herself?
Eala surpassed Naomi Osaka, who dropped to No. 17 in the latest rankings.
In a year-end review, Eala climbed 36 places in 2026, having started the year at No. 51.
She competed across 29 tournaments throughout the season, and won her first Tour-level title in Washington, DC.
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