Posted by ReyFort Media
AFTER her impressive run in the Dubai Tennis Championships last week, Filipina star Alex Eala entered new territory in her flourishing pro tennis career yesterday, vaulting 16 spots to another all-time best of No. 31 in the newly released Women’s Tennis Association world ratings.
This welcome development is credited to her strong campaign in the last WTA 1000 meet in the UAE tourist, commercial and investment capital, playing four matches in the tough main draw at the Dubai Duty Free Stadium.
The highlight of that drive was a stunning 6-1, 7-6 (7-5) upset of Italian No. 8 seed Jasmine Paolini, now No. 7 in the world, in the second round, followed up by a 7-5, 6-4 decision over Romanian veteran Sorana Cirstea in the round-of-16.
Eala, 20, finally met her match in former Italian Open doubles partner and American No. 4 seed Coco Gauff, No. 4 in the world, who took out the popular player with a lopsided 6-0, 6-2 triumph in the quarterfinals.
Eala’s strong performance netted her 209 WTA rankings points, boosting her to the new milestone with a total of 1,432 points, surpassing her previous high of No. 40 last Feb. 9.
She was just six points shy of Chinese Xinyu Wang, who also achieved a career-best No. 30, and 22 points ahead of Greek No. 32 Mariia Sakkari, 30, a former world No. 2 and French and US Open semifinalist in 2021.
Also making inroads in the rankings was Eala’s Southeast Asian “sister” and Abu Dhabi Open doubles partner Janice Tjen of Indonesia, who rose 10 spots to a new personal best of No. 36.
Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka (10,675), Poland’s Iga Swiatek (7,588), and reigning Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan (7,253) retained their top three spots, respectively.
The newest milestone should be another morale boost for Eala, who is scheduled to bring her act anew in the United States as she sees action in two WTA 1000 events, starting with her main draw debut in the famed Indian Wells Open, set to start on March 4 in Indian Wells, California.
She will be the 30th seed in the meet, where Russian Andrea Mareeva, world No. 8 and seeded eighth, is the defending champion. The tourney features the top 16 in the world, bannered by Sabalenka are competing.
Given the grueling grind in the WTA 1000 competitions featuring the creme dela creme of tennis, veteran tennis writer George Patten of the Tennis Gazette website suggested what needs to be done to enhance Eala’s performance.
Patten noted that against Gauff, “she (Eala) wasn’t at her best, that’s true, but Gauff highlighted weaknesses in her game that need to be addressed sooner rather than later. The most notable of which was her physical condition.
“For context, her opponent, Gauff, had played three hours and 50 minutes, just 25 fewer. Eala should have been ready for a battle, but clearly wasn’t,” he observed.
“Her (Eala’s) serve wasn’t up to scratch against Gauff, and in all honesty, it never has been. The Filipina’s athleticism, intelligence, and shot-making often disguise her serving troubles, but the shot is, by far, the weakest in her arsenal.”
He noted that “against Gauff, Eala won 32% of points behind her first serve and 40% behind her second. Those numbers aren’t going to get you anywhere against the very best players in women’s tennis.” (B. Pedralvez/Malaya)
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