ALEXANDRA “ALEX” EALA is projected to move up in the seedings of the Wuhan Open next week after the withdrawal of some big guns led by world No. 1 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan.
From No. 18, the 21-year-old Filipina tennis sensation is bound to be the No. 13 seed in the 1000-level Chinese tilt as of writing time pending the official draw and other player developments on Saturday.
The Wuhan Open, along with the China Open, is the final 1000-level tourney of the season before the WTA Tour Finals on Nov. 8 to 15 in Indian Wells.
Ms. Eala is already out of contention ahead of the ranking cutoff on Nov. 1 in the WTA finals featuring the tour’s Top 8 players after skipping the China Open in Beijing to play for the Philippines in the 20th Asian Games (Asiad) in Japan, where she bagged a bronze medal.
Although world No. 18, Ms. Eala actually made it as high as the Top 10 in the tour rankings only to fall to No. 15 with 2,181 points. She lost a slim shot at cracking the final cut by missing out in Beijing with at least 1,000 ranking points at stake.
And so she’s out to conquer the next big thing, the Wuhan Open, for a perfect chance for redemption and ranking jump before the season ends after back-to-back setbacks in a bumpy start to her Asian swing campaign.
Aside from Ms. Rybakina, who’s recovering from a foot injury she suffered in a stunning early Beijing exit, No. 4 Coco Gauff and No. 11 Amanda Anisimova of the United States as well as No. 17 Naomi Osaka of Japan are also out of Wuhan due to different reasons.
Hopes are high on Ms. Eala now to go on a deep run after a Round of 16 exit in the WTA 500 Singapore Open as the No. 3 seed. As the No. 1 seed and heavy title favorite, she also fell short of redemption after a semifinal loss in the Asiad to settle for a second straight bronze medal.
But good thing for the lefty ace, she will have all the motivation in the world marching on to the Chinese territory after finally meeting her super idol Maria Sharapova of Russia, a five-time Grand Slam champion and former world No. 1.
“I’m so grateful. It’s crazy that I’m at the start of (the rise of) my career and it’s just all of these moments are amazing,” beamed Ms. Eala, who served as guest on Ms. Sharapova’s “Pretty Tough” podcast on Wednesday night, mentioning her idol’s grit as one of the biggest weapons she’s applying on her blooming career now.
“I’ve been following you for several years now. I’ve watched your journey in the last few years flourish to where you are today. You have a long way to go but it is so impressive to see how you’ve handled and navigated everything,” responded the 39-year-old Ms. Sharapova on the rising Pinay star.
Albeit on a shaky start to the Asian swing so far, not’s all lost for Ms. Eala heading into Wuhan after being named to the “Time100 NEXT: The World’s Most Influential Rising Stars” of the renowned Time Magazine.
Ms. Eala also made heads turn in her Paris Fashion Week debut last weekend, dazzling on the red carpet of the Chanel’s Spring-Summer 2027 Collection after previously serving as front row guest at the Tory Burch Show in the New York Fashion Week.
Her relentless rise on the global tennis landscape also paved the way for the promotion of the Philippines to a WTA 250 Tour next year.
The Philippine Tennis Association last week secured the upgrade in the 2027 WTA Calendar, finally having a tour-level 250 event in November 2027 on top of its second year of hosting a 125-level in January.
This year, Ms. Eala inspired the country in staging a historic WTA 125 Philippine Women’s Open where she reached the quarterfinals after a loss to eventual champion Camila Osorio of Colombia.
The 125 is a challenger level in the WTA echelon, hence does not count as an official tour title, while the 250 — as the entry level in the WTA Tour until the 1000s and Grand Slams — is. Ms. Eala has two 125 titles in her rising career but was only named a WTA champion this year after winning the WTA 500 Mubadala Citi DC Open last August. — John Bryan Ulanday
