Alex Eala is on the verge of breaking into the Top 50 of the Women’s Tennis Association despite falling short in the Hong Kong Tennis Open last week.

Eala, 20, is on track to reach a new career-best rank No. 50 according to the latest WTA live rankings.

The Rafael Nadal Academy graduate, who currently sits at No. 51, suffered a 6-3, 3-6, 4-6 loss to Victoria Mboko of Canada in the Round of 16 last Thursday.

While she is happy with how high she is soaring, Eala admits there is still a lot of work to be done to keep up with the best players in the world.

Only the Top 100 of the WTA rankings will be given a main draw slot in Grand Slam tournaments.

“It’s really amazing, the target I had to end the year was Top 100 and now it’s kind of like pushing it for me, and we passed that by a milestone so I’m so happy,” Eala said.

“But regarding next year, I’m confident that my team has planned accordingly. I’m here to give it my all and I’ll do my best to stay and to get better.”

Eala will have at least a month to rest as she is set to represent the country in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand from 9 to 20 December.

In January, Eala will be busy as she is set to compete in the Workday Canberra International and the Australian Open as well as the Philippine Women’s Open.

It has been an unforgettable year so far for Eala.

In the Miami Open last March, Eala upset former No. 1 Iga Swiatek, Jelena Ostapenko and Madison Keys.