THERE is a certain irony in the timing for Alex Eala.
The Filipina climbed to a career-high No. 29 in Monday’s updated rankings from the Women's Tennis Association, bringing her total to 1,525 points just days before the start of the Miami Open.
Eala beats her former record of No. 31, as she comes off from No. 32.
She surpassed Cristina Bucsa and Maya Joint at Nos. 30 and 31.
Work won't stop
But the milestone arrives with immediate pressure.
Under the WTA’s 52-week ranking system, points earned from a tournament stay on a player’s record for exactly one year before they drop once that event returns to the calendar.
READ: Here's what awaits Alex Eala in her return to Miami Open
For Eala, that means the 390 points she collected from last year’s breakthrough Miami Open semifinal run are now nearing expiration.
Once this year’s tournament begins, those points will come off her total — unless she produces another deep run to replace them.
So while the Filipina enters Miami at a career-best ranking, the same tournament that helped lift her there will now test how capable she can hold that ground.
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