Arya News - Eala, who began the year at No. 50, set a new career-high ranking of 15th in the world after a runner-up finish at the Hong Kong Open on Sunday.
MANILA – Alex Eala entered the WTA top 15 to end her breakthrough season.
Eala, who began the year at No. 50, set a new career-high ranking of 15th in the world after a runner-up finish at the Hong Kong Open on Sunday.
The 21-year-old Eala was favored in the final against unseeded American Claire Liu, who defied the odds with a 6-3, 6-0 victory to claim her maiden crown.
Despite coming up short in the final, Eala described her run in Hong Kong as a “fairytale ending to a fairytale season.”
It really was a storybook season for the Filipino trailblazer, who captured her maiden tour title last August at the WTA 500 Washington Open after rallying past then-World No. 3 Jessica Pegula.
She also had a historic run at the Wimbledon Championships, reaching the fourth round of the All England Club by sweeping defending champion Iga Swiatek in the round of 32.