Filipino tennis ace Alex Eala might have registered her highest rank yet as she soared to No. 138 in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings.

Eala, 19, jumped nine notches higher from No. 147 to No. 138 to start the year on a sizzling note after making a semifinal run in the Workday Canberra International to boost her preparation for the Australian Open that kicked off on Monday.

It was an uphill battle for the Rafael Nadal Academy graduate as she had to beat home bet Catherine Aulia, 6-1, 6-2, in the first qualifying round before taking down another Australian tennis player in Alana Subasic, 5-7, 6-0, 6-1, to make it to the main draw.

In the Round of 32, Eala defeated Sinja Kraus of Austria, 6-2, 6-4, and then swept Arianne Hartono of the Netherlands, 6-3, 6-3, in the Round of 16.

Eala then defeated Aussie netter Taylah Preston 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, in the quarterfinal to set up a semifinal match with Sijia Wei of China.

Her journey ended there as Wei booked a 5-7, 2-6 win to coast to the final round.

Still, Eala believes this is only the beginning as she aims to make it to the main draw of the Australian Open.

“Fought hard last week but the path in 2025 has just begun. Next stop: Australian Open,” Eala said.

Eala goes up against Jana Fett of Croatia on Tuesday in the first qualifying round.

Fett, 28, is a dangerous foe as she is only a few ranks above Eala in the WTA ranking at No. 134 and is a 14-time champion.

The Croatian netter last made it to the Australian Open in 2018 where she lost to Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, 6-3, 2-6, 5-7.

On the other hand, Eala is aiming to go make the main draw after suffering a 2-6, 5-7 loss to Rebecca Peterson of Sweden in the first qualifying round last year.