Alex Eala Is Now the Highest-Ranked Female Tennis Player from Southeast Asia

Just days before the 2026 US Open, Alex Eala has reached another career milestone. The 21-year-old now sits at No. 18 in the latest Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) singles rankings, released on August 24, 2026. This marks a two-place jump from her previous ranking of No. 20.

The new position also makes Alex the highest-ranked female tennis player from Southeast Asia. The Filipina tennis star has now surpassed Indonesia’s Yayuk Basuki, who reached No. 19 in 1997, as well as Thailand’s Tamarine Tanasugarn, who matched that ranking in 2002.

The achievement comes after a strong run across the North American hard-court season.

Over the last few weeks, Alex recently secured her breakthrough WTA Tour singles title at the Mubadala D.C. Open before reaching the third round of the Cincinnati Open in the weeks leading up to the US Open.

Her latest ranking also marks a significant step up for her Grand Slam campaign. Alex enters this year’s US Open as the No. 17 seed in the women’s singles draw, improving on the No. 29 seeding she received at Wimbledon.

Breaking into the Top 20 also puts Alex in a stronger position heading into major tournaments, giving her direct entry into the main draws of Grand Slams and high-level WTA 1000 tournaments without having to go through qualifying rounds.

Alex Eala will kick off her 2026 US Open campaign tomorrow, August 25, for the mixed doubles championship alongside world no. 4 Felix Auger-Aliassime from Canada.

While the exact schedule has not been finalized yet, Alex is expected to face Denmark's Clara Tauson in the singles main draw.