Alex Eala Reaches Career-High World No. 18 Ahead of US Open

Alex Eala climbed two spots to a career-high No. 18 in the WTA rankings, released Monday, August 24. The update landed after the Cincinnati Open wrapped up in Mason, Ohio, and puts her at 2,281 points heading into the US Open.

Southeast Asia’s New Standard

The ranking makes Eala the highest ranked female tennis player in Southeast Asian history. She passed the previous regional record of No. 19, a mark shared by Thailand’s Tamarine Tanasugarn and Indonesia’s Yayuk Basuki.

Only one Southeast Asian player has ranked higher across either tour. Paradorn Srichaphan hit ATP No. 9 during his career, and that mark still sits above Eala’s on the region’s all time list.

The Swing That Got Her Here

Eala reached the Round of 16 at Wimbledon, then moved to the hard courts and won her first WTA tour level title at the WTA 500 Mubadala DC Open, beating Jessica Pegula in the final.

She followed that with a Round of 16 finish at the Canadian Open. In Cincinnati, she reached the third round before losing to American world No. 10 Amanda Anisimova, 6-4, 4-6, 2-6.

Now, New York

Eala heads into the US Open for her second career main draw appearance in singles. She is also entered in mixed doubles alongside Canadian player Felix Auger-Aliassime. The tournament is the final Grand Slam of the season.