Eala rises to career best rank of No. 70

THERE is no stopping Alex Eala.

Ms. Eala rose to yet another career best world ranking of No. 70 ahead of her much-awaited main draw debut in the French Open later this month.

The 19-year-old Filipina pride slightly improved from a previous high of No. 72 in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) following a second-round stint in the elite Madrid Open last week.

Ms. Eala drubbed Bulgaria’s Victoriya Tomova, 6-3, 6-2, in Round 1 but bowed to a familiar foe in Poland’s Iga Swiatek, 6-4, 4-6, 2-6, in the next for a gallant exit.

That served as Ms. Swiatek’s revenge on the teen sensation, who beat her in the Miami Open last March, 6-2, 7-5, in the Round of 8 to make history as the first-ever Filipina WTA semifinalist.

Still, Ms. Eala gained enough with 897 points in 29 tourneys this season to climb the ranks that should serve handy in her French Open debut on May 25 to June 8 in Paris.

Before that, Ms. Eala will have a chance to fine-tune her bearings in the Italian Open in Rome starting on Tuesday until May 18.

Italian Open is a WTA 1000 tourney like the Miami Open, where Ms. Eala had Cinderella run marked by wins over three Grand Slam champions and Top-10 players including Ms. Swiatek.

Ms. Eala’s unbelievable campaign in Miami, ended by a tough three-set loss to world No. 3 Jessica Pegula of the United States in the Final Four, propelled her inside the Top 100 players at last.

Her entry to WTA’s Top 100 ensured her a direct invite in all of the main draws of Grand Slam and WTA 1000 level tourneys, including the Roland Garros where she once ruled as the girls’ doubles champion.

Before her rise to the top among the tennis giants, Ms. Eala had played only in the qualifiers of majors and fell short every time for a dream main draw debut. — John Bryan Ulanday