Alexandra Eala becomes the first woman from the Philippines to break into the Top 40

Alexandra Eala continues her historic rise this week, becoming the first woman from the Philippines to break into the Top 40 in WTA rankings history, which dates all the way back to 1975.

She rises from No. 45 to No. 40 today following her run to the quarterfinals of Abu Dhabi, which was actually her first time reaching the quarterfinals of a WTA 500-level event.

It was her fifth time reaching the quarterfinals at a WTA event at any level and they’ve all come in the last 11 months—her first three last year with her run to the semis of Miami (WTA 1000), the final of Eastbourne (WTA 250) and the quarters in Sao Paulo (WTA 250), and two this year with a semifinal in Auckland (WTA 250) and now a quarterfinal in Abu Dhabi (WTA 500).

The 20-year-old was already the first woman from the Philippines to break into both the Top 100 and the Top 50 when she cracked those ranking classes last year, in March and November, respectively. And now, the first to crack the Top 40.

After a three-tournament week on the WTA tour, Eala is one of several players making breakthroughs on the new WTA rankings.

The woman who ended up winning the title in Abu Dhabi, Sara Bejlek, soars from No. 101 to No. 38, shattering her previous high of No. 75. It was the 20-year-old Czech's first career WTA title

American Hailey Baptiste, who made her maiden WTA semifinal in Abu Dhabi, rises from No. 56 to No. 39 for her Top 40 debut.

The last two players standing in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, Emma Raducanu and Sorana Cirstea, continue their rises back up the rankings. Raducanu, who reached her first WTA final since winning the 2021 US Open, moves up from No. 30 to No. 25, her highest ranking since 2022. And Cirstea, who won the fourth WTA title of her career—and her first on home soil in Romania—goes from No. 36 to No. 31, her highest ranking since 2024.

And Ukrainian breakout star Oleksandra Oliynykova rises from No. 91 to No. 71, soaring past her previous high of No. 90, after reaching the first WTA semifinal of her career in Cluj-Napoca. It was the second WTA main draw of her career, after this year’s Australian Open, where she fell first round to Madison Keys.

More to come...