SHE lost a heartbreaker to Australian Maya Joint in the women’s singles finale at the Lexus Eastbourne Open over the weekend but Alex Eala gained a lot from her sparkling run in the tourney, breaching the top 60 to rise 18 rungs to a career-high No. 56 in the latest Women’s Tennis Association world ratings yesterday.
This was Eala’s biggest jump in the rankings since rising to No. 69 from out of the top 100 after her unforgettable breakout campaign in the Miami Open last March, highlighted by a huge 6-2, 7-5 quarterfinal upset of fancied and then world No. 2 Iga Swiatek of Poland.
In reaching her first WTA 250 finals and maiden grass court championship match appearance, the 20-year-old Filipina sports superstar went through two qualifying rounds, gaining her ticket to the main draw with a come-from-behind 6-7 (1-7), 7-6 (7-4), 6-1 win over then world No. 51 Hailey Baptiste of the US.
All of her foes in the main draw were ranked above her, including world No. 4 and former French and Australian Open champ Jelena Ostapenko of Czechoslovakia, who was forced to retire in her second-round match against the Pinay netter with a sprained left ankle 0-6, 6-2, 3-2.
Even Joint, 19, who won her second WTA tour title in two months, was ranked No. 51 when they tangled for the championship and has also benefited from that win, vaulting to No. 41 in the WTA rankings.
To be included in the top 60 elite of women’s professional tennis ought to inspire Eala when she faces defending women’s singles champion and 17th seed Barbara Krejickova of Czechoslovakia in the opening round of the Wimbledon Open at the All-England courts in London, England.
They were scheduled to tangle today at Center Court, with the Filipina eager to wash away the memories of her painful setback in Eastbourne and hopes to catch the veteran Czech, who quit before the quarterfinals at the same meet due to a sore right calf, at a vulnerable moment.
Eala will be among the nine youngest campaigners in the Wimbledon main draw, according to the website tennis 365.com, with American Iva Jovic being the “baby” of them all at 17 years and six months.
The report on the website noted that she won’t be in awe of Krejickova “as she has already beaten Grand Slam winners Iga Swiatek, Madison Keys and Jelena Ostapenko, all at the Miami Open.
