RELENTLESS in her pursuit of excellence, Filipina tennis ace Alex Eala has once again joined the WTA Top 30 in Monday's rankings update.
Eala climbed five spots to world No. 30, just one place shy of her career-high No. 29, following an impressive campaign at the WTA 500 Berlin Tennis Open where she defeated three higher-ranked opponents, including two Top 10 players.
READ Eala's dream run in Berlin ends in semis loss to Noskova
The 21-year-old scored back-to-back victories over world No. 2 Elena Rybakina and world No. 8 Elina Svitolina in the Round of 16 and quarterfinals, respectively, before bowing to world No. 13 Linda Noskova in the semifinals.
Her ranking also puts her in line to be seeded at the 2026 Wimbledon Championships. Eala is projected to be the No. 29 seed after Victoria Mboko withdrew due to injury.
Less than 48 hours after her semifinal run in Berlin, Eala is already set to return to action at the Bad Homburg Open in Germany. She opens her campaign against world No. 26 Elise Mertens of Belgium on Monday, not before 11:30 p.m. Manila time.
The tournament is expected to be Eala's final tune-up before Wimbledon, her favorite Grand Slam event.
She will also compete in doubles alongside American legend Venus Williams. The pair will face Alexandra Osborne and Catherine Harrison in the opening round on Tuesday, not before 5 p.m. Manila time.
The Bad Homburg Open marks Eala's 18th tournament of the season and her fourth on grass.
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