Alexandra Eala Sets New Ranking Record For Southeast Asian Tennis

Alexandra Eala has become the highest-ranked Southeast Asian player in WTA ranking history following the latest update to the standings on Monday.

The 21-year-old has risen to 18th in the world, surpassing the previous regional record of 19th that was achieved by Indonesia’s Yayuk Basuki and Thailand’s Tamarine Tanasugarn during their careers. Basuki first reached the position in October 1997 before Tanasugarn did so in May 2002.

Eala has the chance to improve her ranking in the next couple of weeks at the US Open depending on how she performs. She will be seeded in the tournament and is defending second round points from last year. As of this week, she is less than 300 points away from breaking into the top 15.

It is another milestone for Eala, who has already set new records for her native Philippines. She is the first from her country to win a WTA title, defeat a top-10 player and reach the Wimbledon fourth round in the Open Era.

“She could improve on everything,” Eala’s coach Joan Bosch recently said on Diary of a Professional Tennis Coach. “From serve, to return, forehand, backhand, footwork, endurance, and speed, that’s the plan,” he added.

“If tomorrow, we play and we lose, but we have a good match, that’s not a bad thing. That’s part of the game. Now she’s in 20, close to the Top 10. But again, that’s not the goal, the goal is to be better.”

Eala has already played three North American hardcourt events heading into the US Open, winning the Citi Open earlier this month. She then reached the third round of the Canadian Open before losing to Belinda Bencic and the last 32 in Cincinnati, where she was stopped in her tracks by Amanda Anisimova.

Before her Grand Slam title bid, Eala is playing in the US Open mixed doubles event this week alongside Felix Auger-Aliassime. The event starts today with qualifying rounds before two consecutive days of main draw action.

After this event, the official men’s and women’s singles main draws will take place on Thursday, 26 August 2026. First round matches will then begin on Sunday.