Eala reaches career-best No. 17

Alex Eala achieved a new milestone in her career as she set a new career-best rank of No. 17 in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Tour.

Eala improved from her previous rank of No. 19 as she is coming off a quarterfinal finish in the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo last week where she lost to eventual champion and world No. 11 Diana Shnaider of Russia, 6-2, 6-7, 4-6.

The 21-year-old netter will next compete against world No. 59 Alycia Parks of the United States on Tuesday at 10 a.m. (Manila time) in the Hong Kong Tennis Open.

It will be Eala’s last tournament in the WTA Tour this season before she returns to the Philippines for an exhibition match against world No. 75 Janice Tjen of Indonesia on 8 December at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan.